Tokyo Ghoul: Lith
by Amunet G
Summary: In this cruel world, beings known as ghouls exist. Known as a threat to human society, they are feared and deeply hated. When a naturally born one-eyed ghoul hybrid escapes from V, she sets off on a journey to make the world a better place for ghouls and humans alike. *Rated T for fighting scenes, foul language, swearing, mentions of blood, and other things.*
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** This is my very first fan fiction, so I probably need a lot of improvement. Please mention any of my mistakes and what you all think of it. I know that after reading this, a lot of people might think that it'll be boring because it seems that the protagonist is OP, but have no fear! She has weaknesses and isn't going to be perfect. I hope you enjoy!

 **Prologue:**

V is a secret organization known to operate in the shadows which attempt to create their own "balance" in the world. One of the strongest members, known as Rin, was chosen, along with a few select others to create powerful ghouls. Although they where not specified how to, Rin decided to create a natural One-Eyed Ghoul hybrid. After all, hybrids were rumoured to be more powerful than ordinary ghouls due to hybrid vigor. He was already a very powerful ghoul, and it was thought that if he ever had offspring, they would be extremely strong due to his extraordinary.

5 years before the creation of Aogiri Tree, Rin infiltrates the CCG. He quickly escalates through the ranks, due to his quick thinking and physical ability. During this time, he searched for a powerful female human to give birth to a One-Eyed Ghoul. After 2 years of searching, he found the perfect CCG member. Known as Diana, she was a British Ghoul Investigator, who had been transferred to Tokyo, Japan. Though her reasons for transfer where unknown to most members of the CCG, she was known as a sweet and gentle person. This made her an easy target of Rin.

One of Rin's strong traits was being charismatic. Soon Diana had fallen in love with him. He found this as an opportunity and proposed to her. A year later, Diana gave birth to a One-Eyed Ghoul. Once she realized that her baby and Rin where ghouls, she was murdered by V. As her long brown hair stained with blood, Rin took the new-born ghoul away.

—

As time passed, all the other chosen ghouls failed to create a ghoul as powerful as Rin's child. Rin had decided to name her Lith, as she was thought to be the one who would balance life and death. Ever since she had learned to walk, she was taught how to use her kagune. Her most notable feature was the fact that her right eye was the only one with a kakugan.

Only two years after her birth, another One-Eyed Ghoul heard of her. Known as Eto, she created an organization named Aogiri Tree. It was supposedly led by the "One-Eyed King". Although it didn't cause many problems at the starting point, it started to cause problems for V when it grew in size and obtained powerful ghouls.

Due to this, they decided that they needed Lith to become stronger. While she was still young, Lith endured many experiments done on her body. They gave her different types of kagune, which she would be able to use to keep at an advantage during fights. She was also took place in harsh training, making her able to fight even without a kagune.

Although she was being trained carefully, she was never allowed to step into the outside world. All she had where the stories that she would here from other members. She was forced to cannibalize on ghouls since she was a little girl, and developed a full kakuja at only 12 years of age. Known as a prodigy, many members considered her to be one of the strongest members in the organization.

 **14 years after Lith's birth ~**

Although the organization had very strict rules, it wasn't perfect. As October neared, Lith was going to be allowed to visit the outside world. One of the organization's members, known as Midori, had been given the task to ensure her safety during her visit. There was pressure on the higher ups about the One-Eyed King and the Aogiri Tree organization. Recently they had been gathering a lot of members and were becoming an enormous threat to their "balance".

On the day that Lith discovered that she was going to the outside world, she planned an escape. She knew nothing about how to survive in society, but she had been given books to study and read. She learned many things from them, but had also enjoyed imagining the characters and places in novels. She had decided that she should be able to survive on her own power, but it would be hard to hide from V.

Midori, one of Lith's only friends, had helped her devise a successful plan. While Lith had worried about what would happen to Midori after she ran away, Midori explained that she would probably stay in hiding.

Lith wanted live freely, being able to roam Tokyo without any boundaries. This was what had caused her to make her decision. She was frustrated that she had been forced to live the way she did, without having a choice about decisions. But most of all, she despised the fact that she had been born into the world to be a bringer of death.

Lith had learned that all living creatures could feel pain and sorrow. She had heard of the cruel ways of the world and how everything was decided by strength and power. She felt that with the abilities that she had been given, she could try to make a better world. Although in the eyes of many she was a demon, all she was seeking was peace.

—

One cool, crispy, evening, Lith and Midori exited the 24th ward and entered the 20 ward. While they walked, some members of V where watching from the shadows. Midori lead the way to an abandoned park, where she told Lith to hide. This made some members suspicious, who attempted to capture Lith while she was fleeing. Midori quickly took out her Ukaku kagune and injured the other organization members.

Lith ran without looking back, thinking that if she didn't escape Midori's attempts would be in vain. As she ran past a few large trees, she came across two humans (a child and a young teen). She had never encountered any live humans before, so she was really curious. As she approached them, she noticed that they looked extremely terrified. As she looked in the direction they were staring at, she noticed the distinct smell of a ghoul. She saw a tall, average looking human with black hair using Bikaku type kagune. As he approached the humans, he noticed her. She just simply smiled and waved at him. While he was confused, Lith decided to approach him.

"Do you think you could, oh I don't know, maybe find another way to eat? Killing humans isn't very nice you know." she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

—

Thanks for reading! I'm not sure exactly how often I'll be able to update, but I'll try my best to do it as often as possible. Also, I might add in a few hints to future events in the story so keep an eye out for hidden details!


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I'm still not sure how often I will be able to post, especially since tests are coming up in about a week and a half at my school. I hope that I will be able to post at least once a week, or possibly even sooner. Please remember that I am new to all of this writing stories and stuff so things might not make sense or they may not even be interesting. I am open for opinions and I will try my best to write an entertaining story. Please don't forget to review my work!

Chapter 1:

Lith, although much younger and shorter than the ghoul, walked right in front of him. She faced him while he became enraged by her attitude. He attempted to punch her in the stomach, but surprisingly missed.

The ghoul started to think before he acted. He noticed that she was extremely fast, even for ghoul standards. As his mind continued to wonder, he was suddenly interrupted by said girl.

"So… can I go now? My friends and I really need to get home…we'll be in trouble if we don't." With said with a plain voice.

"No way! I'm starving, and all three of you have already seen my face! I can't have doves chasing me!"

Suddenly, the pink haired child started crying. "I wanna go home! I'm scared, brother!" She started to throw a fit, alerting people in the neighbourhood. The dark alleyway started to brighten with people turning on lights to find out what the commotion was about.

The angered ghoul became startled and ran towards the toddler. Using his red Bikaku, he grabbed the girl, making people notice the ghoul. As he covered his face with his arm, he stated "If any of you attempt to stop me, I'll slice her in half!". He quickly started running towards an empty street when the other sibling, started to charge at the ghoul. The ghoul easily threw him across the street. As he was about to fall, Lith took out her bright yellow Rinkaku kagune and caught him in time.

"You need to be more careful, or you'll get hurt! Next time try avoiding dangerous ghouls like him." she stated.

As she said that, the boy stared in awe at what had just happened. A ghoul had tried to save him and his younger sister? And even after that, when he charged at the other ghoul and almost crashed, he was saved again? Just what was with that ghoul? Is it even a ghoul? It's just a girl around his age. It wasn't even possible! Ghouls were supposed to be cruel, killing machines!

"Ne, are you ok? You seem kinda pale…" said Lith, with an anxious voice. The other ghoul was going to use this as a distraction to escape when his arm was suddenly pierced by a Rinkaku. The ghoul turned his head to face the calm girl. Something was wrong. Then he saw it. She only had one kakugan. She was a One-Eyed Ghoul! But that wasn't even possible! They were just urban legends that weren't real!

"Now that I have your attention, let go of that girl or you'll regret it." Lith said in an angered voice. The ghoul let go of the girl and ran away. As he was leaving an orange haired man in a white suit approached the scene. Lith quickly grabbed the child with her Rinkaku and placed her beside the startled sibling. Then her kagune disappeared and her eye turned normal.

She took a protective stance in front of them as the man opened a briefcase and a black and purple Koukaku appeared in his hand. "Move away from those humans, you filthy creature!"

"Sorry, but I can't do that. I've decided that I want to protect innocent from beings that try to cause imbalance and try to harm them."

The investigator suddenly burst into laughter. "A ghoul, protect a human from another? Don't mess with me!"

"Huh? You're a human too? Oops, I thought you were another ghoul! No wonder you don't smell like one. I guess you probably won't harm these children…" remarked Lith in a surprised voice. Realizing her mistake, she quickly bowed down in apology and disappeared. The investigator decided not to give chase, as he noted that the civilians appeared safe. He'd have to make a report about the ghoul that escaped without even trying to give a fight.

—

Lith felt embarrassed. She had mistaken a human for a ghoul! How could that possibly happen? She had heard about Investigators, who were commonly known as doves by ghouls. Although she had learned a lot about them, she had never actually seen one in the flesh. What had greatly surprised her was the fact that she had imagined their "kagune" as something else. It appeared as though if she wanted to change the world, she would first have to learn from it.

Suddenly, a strong, yet delicious smell caught her attention. As she walked towards it, she appeared to have managed to stumble into a cafe. "Um, excuse me miss, but we're not open yet." said a waiter with short, purple hair.

"Excuse me, but I seem to have caught scent of something delicious…would you mind telling me what it was, Ghoul-sama?" asked Lith with curiosity in her voice. Shocked, the ghoul waiter took a step back.

"What do you mean?" asked the ghoul with a gentle tone in her voice.

"That's because you smell like one."

"Touka, please open the shop. It's about time to get started. I'll lead our little customer to the second floor." said the shop's manager, ignoring the ghoul's growing anger.

"Yes manager." the ghoul sighed.

—

As the manager lead Lith to a room on the second floor, she stared in awe at all the colourful decorations.

"Are you a ghoul yourself?" the manager asked.

"Of course! But the thing is this is my first time in the outside world. I've been in the 24th ward all my life." replied Lith as she sat down on a black couch. "But, I'm curious. Where am I? This place has a lot of ghouls."

"This is Anteiku, a ghoul cafe." said the manager as he sat down to face her.

"Could I please have some coffee? It smells delicious! And maybe something else…do you have any sandwiches?"

"Sandwich? But you're a ghoul. It wouldn't be good for your system if you ate some."

"Don't worry, I can eat human food too! At least thats what Kaiko told me." explained Lith.

"Kaiko? Would you happen to be a member from V?" asked the manager in a calm tone.

"Why would you know? Were you a member? Are you a member? Are you going to take me back?!" Lith said in a scared voice. She quickly took out her Ukaku kagune and prepared to make a run for it. Unfortunately, this meant that her kakugan was visible. The manager quickly noticed this.

"You're a One-Eyed Ghoul?" asked the manager. That caused Lith to cover her normal eye with her hand. She was scared. Beyond scared, she was horrified at the thought of having to go back to V. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't believe that the only reason she was born into the world was to kill others.

"Yes, I am. And if you tell anyone, I'm afraid I'd have to silence you and anyone else who gets in my way." responded Lith in a bold voice. Even though she said this, internally she felt like she was going to fall apart.

"Don't worry Miss, I wouldn't hurt you. Here at Anteiku, we help out other ghouls. This is a very peaceful ward in comparison to others. I won't ask anymore questions, but if you want, I'll be here to listen to you."

Relief spread across Lith's body. She hid her kagune and her eye changed back to normal. She decided that she would trust the manager and possibly visit the cafe once in a while.

"Would you still want something to drink?" asked the manager.

Lith nodded her head. She went back down to the main floor and sat down in front of a small table beside the window. This cafe was strange. Both humans and ghouls visited here to drink coffee. Maybe she could try to make a friend with the first person she saw. With turned her head and saw a young ghoul reading a book.

"Hi!" Lith said, as she attempted to start a friendly conversation. The purple haired ghoul raised her head and smiled.

"Hello." said the ghoul. Then she returned her attention to her book. Annoyed by the fact that Lith wasn't able to keep up a conversation, she attempted to get her attention once again.

"What book are you reading?"

"The Black Goat's Egg."

"Is it interesting?"

"Of course it is. That's why I'm reading it." said the ghoul with a slight tone of annoyance in her voice. Lith started panicking. The ghoul was clearly starting to get mad at her. She couldn't think of anything else to say, so she said the first thing that came to mind.

"My name is Lith! How about you?"

"My name is Rize. Now if you could stop asking me questions, I'll be leaving now." said Rize. With watched as she got up from her seat, payed Touka, and left through the front door.

"Thanks a lot. Now we have one less customer." said Touka.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I don't have any friends, so I tried to make one, but it didn't turn out as I expected." said Lith. As she tried to think of a way to fix things, the manager interrupted them.

"Touka, some coffee and a sandwich for her, please." Touka glared at Lith but went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with Lith's food.

—

The manager had agreed to let Lith stay at the cafe over night while she found an apartment. As her payment, she decided she would help work the next day at the cafe.

The next day, Lith came downstairs before the coffee shop opened.

"Now, make sure that you remember to make coffee and sandwiches. If you mess up, you'll be the one to apologize."

"Yes, ghoul-sama!" responded Lith in a sarcastic voice.

"I told you not to call me that! Do you want me to get killed!?" asked Touka. Lith shrugged. "You know what! Never mind!"

While Touka opened the shop, Lith turned on the television. There seemed to be a lot of channels talking about ghouls. She decided that people would most likely want to hear the news in the morning, so she changed the channel to a news station reporting about a ghoul incident. Lith quickly turned around when she heard a bell ring. Two college students walked in and sat down at a coffee table. They seemed to be talking about something, but Lith couldn't tell what.

A few minutes later, the orange haired boy suddenly started talking out loudly. "For example, which one's the cute coffee shop girl you were telling me about?"

"Ack!? You're shouting! Don't look around like that…" replied the black haired boy.

Lith giggled. "Could they possibly be talking about you?"

"As if. Anyways, I'm pretty sure they're talking about Rize. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a job to do." replied Touka.

Lith watched in amusement as the ecstatic customer called Touka over. Touka looked so sweet when she was working with customers. But Lith knew better. Touka may look sweet on the outside, but in reality, she was horrifying if you got on her wrong side.

"Kirishima-san… DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND!?" asked the orange haired boy. Touka looked like she was about to die of embarrassment. She quickly ran away, clutching her notebook tightly.

"Hide, why you- stop that, you idiot!" screamed the black haired boy. All Hide could do was stare at Touka with a dazed look in his eyes. The black haired boy continued to talk, but Lith stopped listening the moment she heard the door ring. As Lith turned her head, she saw Rize. Although she looked gracious, Lith thought she had some kind of split personality. One moment she was nice, the next she was Suddenly there was a pause and the atmosphere changed.

As Rize passed by, Lith noticed that the black haired boy was blushing and Hide wasn't helping. It was then that she understood. The black haired boy had a crush on Rize. As the two boys looked away and started talking to each other, Lith approached Rize to see if she wanted to order something (and if she was still mad at Lith).

"Good morning, could I offer you anything to drink?" asked Lith in her most polite tone. Rize's expression quickly changed. One moment she was glaring at Lith and the next she was smiling and asking for a cup of coffee.

"Talk about bipolar…" Lith mumbled as she walked away. With watched as Hide left the cafe as she poured some coffee. The black haired boy was left alone while reading a book. He appeared to have the same one as Rize, but Lith couldn't tell from a distance.

"Pay attention, you idiot!" Touch exclaimed as hot coffee streamed from the edges of a cup.

"Oh! Sorry!" stuttered Lith.

"If you want you can try to pay me back another way." said the manager, as he walked towards Lith, handing her a towel.

"But, how will I do that? I'm not even sure if I can survive in the outside world at all!" responded Lith.

"How about, if Anteiku ever needs help, you must come to aid us." said the manager.

"Deal!" responded Lith.

—

Lith had nothing else to do, so she decided to just wander the streets of the 20th ward. She quickly learned to enjoy the peace it had to offer, but found something strange. V was not attempting to recapture her.


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews and the follows! I hope the next few chapters will be interesting. I couldn't help that ending and cliffhanger, sorry ;3

—

Chapter 2:

Lith wasn't sure what to think. She could feel like someone was watching her, but it didn't feeling like V. Even if it was, they definitely weren't attempting to bring her back to the 24th ward. She was really excited about being in the outside world, so she didn't think much of it and continued. As she walked down an alley, she started hearing strange noises. At first she thought it was just her imagination, but then she noticed that there was a medium sized box in a corner. As she approached it, the box suddenly started to shake.

I'm a strong ghoul. I can protect myself. Nothing that's in that box can scare me. Lith kept repeating those words over and over in her head. She took the top off the box and jumped back. She had never expected something like this! It was a new type of creature that she had never read about.

6 little creatures with little fur, long tails, floppy ears and closed eyes where inside. They seemed to be asleep, but Lith couldn't be sure. As she crouched down to touch the alien like creatures, she noticed that they where cold. Unsure of what to do, Lith decided to carry the box. It smelled horribly, but she didn't care. They where living, breathing creatures, just like her. They where abandoned, just like her. With walked out of the valley and started looking for a place to stay safe.

As she continued to walk, she got a lot of strange looks. People seemed to have started avoiding her, most likely for the smelly box in her arms. As she continued to walk, she started to get closer to the heart of Tokyo. More and more people started passing by, streets started having a lot of traffic, and she could smell so many different things. She saw all kinds of different people, tall, short, thin and large. As she passed by some stores, she saw advertisements for job openings.

If Lith was planning on surviving and blending in with humans, she was going to need some money. Suddenly, a delicious smell caught her attention. She wasn't very sure what it was, but she wanted to find out. She noticed a small food stand, giving out free food samples.

"This is my lucky day!" mumbled Lith as she walked towards the food.

"Would you like to try some of our delicious chicken soup?" asked a young lady at the stand. With quickly noticed her scent and realized that she was a ghoul. They really were everywhere she went!

"Ne, could I please talk to you for a bit?" asked Lith.

"Sure, no problem. What is it?" answered the ghoul.

"Could you help a fellow ghoul out? Pleeeeeeeeease?" asked Lith. Suddenly, the ghoul's eyes widened. She started sweating, but seemed as though she had lost her voice.

"What are you talking about? I'm just trying to sell some food." replied the startled ghoul.

"Well, I just need to find out what these strange creatures are and how I can take care of them!" cried Lith.

"Why don't you go to a library?" asked the ghoul.

"Where can I find one?" asked Lith.

—

After the ghoul explained to Lith how to get to the library, Lith left quickly. As she was leaving, she could hear the quiet conversation of two ghouls. It appeared as though she had thought that Lith was a human and had discovered her identity as a ghoul. They were even planning to ambush her later on, so as to keep her quiet.

Just thinking about those ghouls made her smirk. Lith obviously wasn't a very good target either. They were lucky to have encountered her and not anyone else from V, or else they would most likely be dead by now.

A few minutes later, Lith stopped in front of a library. As she approached the door, she saw a sign that stated that dogs were not allowed inside the building.

"Guess I'll have to do something about it." mumbled Lith as she opened her sweater and put the creatures inside. She placed the box in a waste bin and went inside. Lith walked towards the front desk and started asking for a section that has to do with species recognition. She also mentioned that the creature she was looking for had a tail, floppy ears, and fur. The librarian stared at her.

"Could you possibly be looking for a section with dogs?" she said with patience in her voice.

"Most likely. Do you know where I could find how to care for them?" replied Lith.

"Right this way. Although, do you have anything under your sweater? You look a bit strange." asked the librarian.

"No, it's fine! I just need to get the book and I'll be going." responded Lith, clearly panicking.

"Please remember that you must return this book after one week. Also, before you take it, we need a some of identification." stated the librarian.

"Oh. I don't have any on me. Do you think I could just read it here then?" The librarian stared at Lith suspiciously but nodded and decided that if whatever she had brought inside didn't disturb anyone, she would turn a blind eye.

As Lith started to binge-read, she noticed that the "puppies" started to whimper. Lith thought that they must be hungry, so she decided to thank the librarian and look for a pet store. Due to the fact that they barely had any fur and their eyes were still closed, they must've just recently been born.

Lith burst into the first pet shop she could find. "Excuse me, but do you have any milk for newborn puppies? I really need some! It's an emergency!"

"Yes. How much would you need?"

"I need enough to last me for about two months. It's for 6 puppies." replied Lith.

"Alright. But that might be a bit expensive for you. Are you sure you have enough money for this?" asked the vender.

"No…but could I do some kind of work here to pay it back?" questioned Lith.

"I'm sorry, but the manager doesn't allow us to hire anyone underage." Upon hearing this, Lith was about to burst into tears. How was she supposed to help out humans and ghouls if she couldn't even care for puppies? How was she even going to take care of herself? Lith stormed out of the store and started running towards an empty alley. She seemed to like being in alleys the most because they were always so quiet.

As Lith continued running down the alley, she started to wonder how she would obtain the milk that she needed in order to keep them alive and healthy. Lith's thoughts were momentarily disturbed by a scream. Lith quickly came to a halt and started running in the direction of the scream.

She hid behind a corner as she saw a tall, white haired man with glasses. That instant, Lith could swear he felt her presence. He suddenly said something and three other men came out. Lith managed to catch a glimpse of a ghoul that was being hunted by investigators. He had bright blue hair and a black mask that covered the lower-part of his face.

With quickly began to assess the situation. The ghoul seemed pretty strong, although he appeared to be struggling. He had also noticed Lith but paid no mind to her. All of the investigators appeared to be armed with what they call quincues. Out of all the investigators, the calmest and strongest also appeared to be the white haired man.

Lith decided that if she was going to start fighting, she would need to have her face covered somehow. She removed her sweater and placed it on the ground, covering her puppies. Lith decided to work with what she had and used her kakuja. She formed an armor like structure around her body, and even covered her face with a mask. It formed the shape of a red, broken heart with a bright, blue tear running down and a sad, stitched mouth. It represented her overall emotions when she was at V.

It were moments like these that she felt satisfied about enduring all the suffering and becoming a stronger person both physically and mentally. She was prepared to jump in and help the ghoul escape when she dodged a bikaku type quinque. Although she had managed to dodge, she did it a split second too late and was scratched a bit. Lith felt the adrenaline rush through her veins. Although nervous, she felt prepared to make a bold entrance.

"Please stop attempting to hurt me. I only came here to save this ghoul. I'm not sure what he did, but no one deserves to be treated badly." stated Lith as she stopped in front of two investigators.

"Like we'd ever let you interfere, you monster!" replied the investigators. It seemed as though they weren't going to cooperate, so Lith decided she needed to stop attempting to negotiate and start fighting. After all, she didn't need to hurt them much if she could just destroy their quinques.

"Alright then, I guess you leave me no choice." murmured Lith as she jumped upwards and attempted to destroy the bikaku quinque. As she was about to, she had to dodge a rinkaku type quinque.

"Geez, you guys are just making things much harder you know. I really don't want to have to hurt you." stated Lith. She decided that if she was going to do things quickly, she needed to use her rinkaku. Lith took out five, ribbon shaped kagune and grabbed the two investigator's quinques and crushed them. Then, she grabbed the investigators and raised them above the ground. As they started to panic, she placed them on a small, one story shop's roof. It probably wouldn't keep them there for long so Lith moved quickly and grabbed the blue-haired ghoul by the waist with her kagune.

The ghoul started aiming shards from his ukaku towards her, but she dodged them.

"Calm down, will you!? I'm trying to save you, you ungrateful ghoul!" screamed Lith as she felt a quinque hurt her kakuja. With decided that she was not strong enough to beat the investigator, she retreated, grabbing her sweater and the puppies along the way. She hid her kakuja and ran with the ghoul still in her kagune's grip. She continued this until she thought they were far enough. Lith looked upwards and saw that the sun was already starting to set. As she gazed at the beautiful scenery, the ghoul suddenly spoke up.

"DO YOU REALIZE I'M STILL HERE!?" he screamed.

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about you!" Lith teased in a sarcastic voice. By then the ghoul had already decided that struggling would be futile and hid his kagune. "So what did you do to make such a powerful investigator come after you? I mean, even I had trouble with him! We barely escaped with our lives!"

"Nothing much. Now will you let me go already?" asked the ghoul with frustration in his voice.

"Ne, you're quite annoying, you know that? Now, what's your name? Mine is Lith! Oh, and also, could you remove your mask? I want to see your face." Lith replied.

"Only if you let go of me." said the ghoul. Lith hid her kagune.

"I hope this teaches you a lesson. You shouldn't trust others!" responded the ghoul as he took out his kagune and ran. Lith smirked. This ghoul seemed to be fun. Maybe he would be her friend? As Lith started running, she felt adrenaline rush through her veins once again. This was an amazing feeling! She was having so much fun! Now, if she took out her ukaku, she would be able to outrun him.

"Ne, you should give up already. I'm stronger, smarter and faster than you!" said Lith to the surprised ghoul. One moment, Lith was beside the ghoul, the next she hugged him from behind and removed his mask.

"Awww you're adorable!" squealed Lith as she pinched the poor ghoul's cheeks. "So, what's your name?"

"I guess since you caught me I'll tell you." said the ghoul in a plain voice.

"Really!?" exclaimed Lith in excitement.

"No." said the ghoul.

"Oh well. I didn't want to resort to this, but I guess I'll have to use my secret weapon!" Lith quickly tackled him to the ground and started tickling him.

"No! Please! Stop it! It tickles!" cried the ghoul in protest as he squirmed across the grass. "My- my name is Ayato! Please stop!"

"Did you really need me to stop? You could have just used your kagune. After all, I'm not immortal." replied Lith, winking. This caused Ayato to get mad. He pushed Lith aside and got up. As Lith turned to get her sweater and the puppies, she didn't notice Ayato turning bright red.

—

In the distance, Eto watched closely in amusement as she saw her two, adorable pawns.


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I took a little longer than expected, but I hope you enjoy this some-what shorter than usual chapter. I hope this makes sense, since I wasn't completely sure on what to do. Also, I still don't know how often I'll be able to upload but I would say about minimum once a week (most likely I'll do around two to four a week). Don't forget I'm open to suggestions!

Chapter 3:

After Ayato and Lith said their farewells, Eto approached Ayato.

"Wow, I can't believe you found her already." exclaimed an amused Eto.

"Tch. A ghoul like that will get killed easily." said Ayato in a flat tone.

"Well I guess you're in luck, lover boy. I need you to follow her." requested Eto. "I am quite sure you have already seen her strength. Someone like her is needed. Report to me whenever you get important information."

"She's not as powerful as a One-Eyed Ghoul should be. Sure, she managed to escape Arima, but she didn't attempt to kill him. Heck, she didn't even scratch a single investigator!" responded Ayato.

Eto kicked Ayato's stomach. "Remember who the superior one is" stated Eto. Then, she turned and headed in the direction of the 11th ward. "Oh, and make sure you bring Lith back alive!"

Ayato limped towards a nearby park and devoured a human. Lost in thought, his mind started to wonder about who Lith really was and why Eto would want to do with her. It seemed impossible for a ghoul like that to ever work at Aogiri Tree.

—

Desperate times called for desperate measures. At least, that was what Lith thought. She wasn't able to find jobs for underaged citizens so she decided that if she wanted to survive, she'd need money and resources. Lith decided that if she just obtained the resources she needed, it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

—

Ayato watched as Lith quickly entered and exited the pet store shop, a clothing department and raided a few fountains full of yen. What he hadn't noticed, was that she knew someone was following her.

"Ne, Stalker-sama, could you please stop following me? You're making me nervous." said Lith.

"No use in hiding then, is there. Now Lith, out of curiosity, why would a ghoul capable of becoming very powerful steal clothing, some yen, and dog supplies." asked Ayato in an annoyed tone.

"Well, I can't find any humane jobs, I have no money, home or belongings and I have 6 abandoned puppies to feed. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back." replied Lith.

"Can't you just leave those mutts alone? Wouldn't you prefer to be a powerful ghoul who controlled the entire city?" asked Ayato as he continued to follow Lith.

"Not really. It wouldn't be as fun." replied Lith as she continued walking towards the alley where she left the puppies.

As they crossed a corner, Lith continued talking. "I was thinking that it would be interesting to go to school. I want to make so many new friends! And I also want to learn new things! And how about lunch time? That would be so much fun! Maybe I should try to get into a middle school. Hey how about you? Wouldn't you want to go to school? Do you go to school? Do you-"

"ENOUGH!" Ayato yelled. "Do you EVER stop talking?!"

Lith, clearly saddened by her "friend's" anger, decided to go on without him. "I just wanted to be a friendly person! Is that too much to ask for?" She started running, leaving Ayato behind.

"Tch. Like I care." mumbled Ayato.

As tears streamed down her face, Lith hid inside a large box. She began to feed the puppies, and decided that she needed a mask.

—

A few days later, Lith was wandering Tokyo's streets leaping from rooftop to rooftop. She always enjoyed the moonlight, especially when the sky was cloudless. As she continued wandering, she began to smell human flesh. Worrying that another human had gotten attacked, she began to head in that direction. As Lith got closer, she recognized the smell. It seemed to belong to someone who went to Anteiku, but she couldn't remember who.

A few minutes later, she arrived at a construction site. "Oh my, did you die?" called out a ghoul. With instantly recognized that voice. Rize began to giggle. "I love humans with body types like yours, Kaneki-san. They have that proper amount of fat, but not too much muscle, so they're soft and easy to eat…" As Rize continued, Lith took out her Rinkaku and was about to push Rize out of the way to save Kaneki when someone grabbed her arm from behind.

"It's best you not do that, Lith." said Ayato as a steel bars smashed Rize. It took Lith a moment to stop and process the situation. When she finally realized what had happened, she turned around and was about to make Ayato let go of her when he stabbed a needle in her eye and injected an Rc suppressant.

Lith screamed out in pain as she stumbled back. She had felt a lot of pain during her training and testing, but never had it been so concentrated in one place. Unaware of what the effects were, she attempted to take out her kagune but to no avail.

As she began to hear sirens nearby, she was punched in the stomach by Ayato. She began to lose focus until all she could see was pitch black.

—

"Damn. I was only supposed to follow that crybaby but now I have to capture her and take her to Aogiri Tree?" complained Ayato to himself as he walked towards the Aogiri Tree base.

"I guess I should have picked someone else as a superior instead of you~" whispered Eto in Ayato's ear. He quickly mumbled a quick apology and headed towards the Grand Hall.

When he arrived he handed Lith to one of his subordinates and prepared himself for the announcement.

—

"My what beautiful hair you have~" complimented Eto as Lith began to wake up. Lith instantly remembered what had happened to Rize and Kaneki and attempted to use her kagune. It was no use. Apart from having Rc suppressants, she was heavily chained to a wall. Though she continued to attempt to break them, they only rattled and began to annoy Eto.

"I think you are aware of the situation you are in, aren't you?" Eto told Lith.

"Midori! What are you doing here? Can you get me down from here?" asked Lith as she recognized her friend's scent and voice.

"I think I should probably introduce myself. I am Eto, founder of Aogiri Tree. I would highly appreciate if you understood I am not who you thought I was. I would also appreciate if you would agree to cooperate with us." explained Eto.

"I refuse! I've heard what you do to both humans and ghouls! I'd never work with anyone like you!" roared Lith as she continued to attempt to break the chains. Eto became enraged and pierced Lith through her shoulder. Her screams could be heard through the entire base, and many ghouls flinched at the sound of her agony.

"I don't care what you do to me! Just like I said, I won't hurt anyone!" Lith screamed as she began to cry. She wasn't going to hurt anyone, even if she had to go through this. It was better that many lives will be saved in exchange for her's.

"Then I guess you leave me no choice. How about I kill a few ghouls and see what your reply will be then. After all, they're all meaningless to me~" replied Eto in a calm and collected voice. She left Lith alone for a few minutes, letting things sink in. As she did, Lith noticed that her regeneration had increased, meaning the Rc suppressants had lost their effect.

I don't know what to do! If I accept, many lives could be lost. But if I don't many will certainly die because of her decision. She couldn't do it. Or could she? First she'd have to confirm what she meant by "cooperate". But then again, her strength was returning.

Lith's thoughts were disturbed by a closing door. Eto walked in with three other ghouls. Though she didn't recognize two, one of them she did. It was Ayato.

"I still refuse. After all, why would I save someone who betrayed me and others who work for a monster." stated Lith with a smirk. She would see if Eto would really kill her own subordinates just because of a refusal.

This time, it was Eto smirking, who had taken out her kagune and was ready to pierce the frightened ghouls. In a swift movement, Lith had broken the chains and taken out her kakuja, piercing Eto's abdomen. Eto began to laugh as Lith took a protective stance in front of the confused ghouls. Her regeneration had healed her quickly, and Eto didn't even have a scratch.

"Now that you have seen that I'm serious, would you care to reconsider?" asked Eto.

"I would like to know what you had in mind when you said "cooperate"." replied Lith.

The ghouls took this as a chance to escape, leaving Eto and Lith alone.

As Eto began to briefly explain, Lith was in shock as to what it would mean. Although she was still quite confused, she decided to agree to these conditions. After all, how hard could it be?

—

Thanks for reading! Also, sorry about being so cliché with that last phrase.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews! Sorry I took a bit extra to publish the new chapter (and it isn't even as long as I was expecting/hoping it would be). Next week I start my tests so I'm not sure if I'll be able to publish a new chapter in about two or three weeks. I probably will soon, but I can't promise anything. Please enjoy this (sort of short) chapter and don't forget to review! Also, deep down (and I mean, really deeeeeeeeeep down), I'm LithxAyato all the way. I really wanted to see more in depth about the character, but I never did. I think he has a sensitive and caring spot, and I feel like this fanfic could let me explore the possibilities. I'm not too much of a romantic person, so things probably won't get too mushy, apart from the occasional blush and dreams (not gross ones, just sweet moments ;) ). Also, in case anyone hasn't noticed, the story will take place in the original Tokyo Ghoul timeline (and possibly even re:, but I might have to make it a sequel, since I plan for this to be long and not too rushed (I feel like this chapter is a bit rushed though x_x). Anyways, thanks again for reading and enjoy!

 **P.S:** I don't think I plan for this to get too dark, after all, I am just a kid! What would my parents say? XP (Just kidding, I'm not that young. But I don't think I'm that old either. Guesses, anyone?).

 **Just kidding** (again), that shouldn't matter. After all, Tokyo Ghoul should be something everyone should enjoy (well, except my younger brother, he's too innocent for this). Anyway, enough of my rambling, please enjoy!

—

Chapter 4:

Eto began to explain. "You see, I would like you to lend us your power. Of course, I promise I won't make you kill anyone, and you will work as one of Ayato's direct subordinates."

"Seriously? Why do I have to be with him?" complained Lith.

"Remember, this is an order from your superior. I might think about giving you a promotion to become an executive, but first you'll have to prove yourself worthy." stated Eto.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." replied Lith.

"Now, don't forget there's a meeting in a few minutes. Don't be late." exclaimed Eto.

As Lith left she began to talk. "Ne, Ayato, you heard that, right?"

Ayato squeaked in surprise due to the fact that she knew he was eavesdropping. He quickly regained his composure and replied. "From now on, you should call me, Ayato- _san_. After all, I am your superior."

"Right…Ayato- _kun_!" replied Lith as she punched him in the arm. "Oops, sorry."

"Tch." responded Ayato as his injury began to heal. They both headed towards the Grand Hall to attend the meeting.

—

"And that concludes our meeting. Head to your designated places and complete the tasks assigned to you." said Tatara.

"You heard him. Lets go everyone." commanded Ayato as he began to walk towards his own building.

"Ne, Ayato- _kun_ , I still haven't forgiven you for earlier! That really hurt, you know?" exclaimed Lith as she walked beside him, attempting to get a positive response.

"Like I care. Anyways, walk behind me. You're humiliating. And stop finishing my name with kun. It's annoying." stated Ayato.

"I don't wanna! Anyway, it's your fault that I have to be in Aogiri Tree." replied Lith.

"I'm just following orders. Just like you should be doing. Now get behind me or I'll make you." said Ayato. Lith giggled. The rest of his subordinates gasped.

"You know, I'd like to see you try! You just caught me by surprise, and back then I thought of you as an ally. Now I think of you as a traitor." replied Lith in a surprisingly intimidating tone. She began to walk in another direction, and ignored all the whispers and laughs they were getting.

"Is she even a ghoul? She's more like livestock, waiting to be devoured."

"She'll be dead any minute now, she's got no chance against a superior."

"Isn't that one of Ayato's subordinates? He has no control over them!"

"She smells delicious. Maybe we could take a bite?"

"It must be so humiliating being her."

"I heard nobody wanted her and that's why she ended up as Ayato's subordinates.

"She should just get slaughtered by the CCG."

"Can you believe her? What position does she think she's in!"

As Lith continued to walk away, she couldn't take it anymore. She began to run away, but bumped into someone.

"Now, where do you think you're going, Lith~" asked Eto as she stepped on Lith's foot, making her flinch.

"Please move, Eto." replied Lith as a crowd of ghouls began to watch them.

"Move." said a voice as he shoved a ghoul out of the way. Ayato appeared beside Lith.

"Excuse us for her behaviour. I assure you, I'll punish her as soon as I get back to my building." apologized Ayato as he bowed down to Eto.

"You can keep her under control, right Ayato?" asked Eto as she turned and left.

Ayato kicked Lith's leg with great strength. "What do you think you're doing!? This is an order: go back to the building!" roared Ayato.

Lith's leg quickly began to regenerate, revealing her kakugan. She quickly closed her normal eye in order to not draw any more attention.

"I'm sorry for earlier." mumbled Ayato.

—

The next few days dragged on for Lith. She was extremely upset at the situation, but decided to continue. She was able to keep her puppies at the base, but only on the condition that she would take care of them. Although she was allowed to wander the base, she couldn't leave it. Lith really wanted to explore the outside world, so she escaped one night in order to venture.

As she wandered the streets of Tokyo, she began to watch a news station. There was an interview about a recent surgery. This caught Liths attention, due to the fact that this was about the incident with a boy named Kaneki Ken. She was upset about the fact that Rize had passed away, but was glad that at least Kaneki had survived.

It had seemed that gossip about her had spread like wildfire with all the other ghouls. Some thought that she was a human, others thought that she was some kind of failed experiment (which was partially true, but she would never admit that) and a popular one was that she was dating Ayato. This one was particularly crazy, especially since she was still mad at him, but she had heard him apologize (even though he didn't know that).

She also felt pretty lonely, due to the fact that she had no friends and the only time she talked to Ayato was when he was bossing her around (which she never listened to). As she headed towards an empty part of the city, she really hoped to get promoted to be an executive soon.

She heard her stomach grumble and decided to find a snack. It was times like these when she was overjoyed she could eat human food. She headed towards a small sushi shop and ordered an enormous amount of food. To top it all off, she was still hungry when she had run out of money.

As she walked outside she decided that she would have to eat a human in order to quell the hunger. She began to wander, looking for a place where people would be most likely to get into an accident or commit suicide. Luckly, she found a narrow road with a sharp turn. She found a body there and decided to quickly devour it before it was discovered.

"Mind if I join?" asked a voice above her.

"I was wondering when you were going to show yourself, Ayato." said Lith with an amused look on her face. She quickly noticed it and turned it into a frown. "Why do you keep following me! I'm stronger than you and I can care for myself."

"Now, thats no way to talk to your superior, is it?" responded Ayato with a smirk.

"Look who's being cocky! You should just stay out of my way! I'll accomplish my goal no matter what! Unlike you, who has no idea what it is." replied Lith in an annoyed look.

Ayato was about to reply, when he closed his mouth. What she had just said made him think. What was his goal? What was he trying to accomplish? This was one of the rare times that something that someone had said had made him doubt himself . What surprised him was that this wasn't the first time it had happened.

Who was she anyways? On the surface, she appeared to be cheerful, childish, playful and immature. But deep down, she was a lonely, sorrowful, yet a passionate, caring and serious person (or ghoul, if you wanted to go literal).

Maybe it would be interesting to get to know her better. But that would look suspicious. It could also be dangerous and ruin his reputation for being to a subordinate. He would give it a try, but he wouldn't let her mess with his mind.

"Cat got your tongue?" asked Lith, attempting to lighten the mood as he appeared to stare into the distance.

"You wish. Well, I'm off. I suddenly lost my appetite."

As he walked away, Lith began to wonder what type of person (ghoul) he was. Ayato seemed cruel, rude, cold, awful, etc (the list could go on ;P ) but she thought there could possibly be more to him than she thought. Maybe getting closer to him would reveal how he truly was?

No! What was she thinking!? Eto was trying to mess with her mind! But what if it was true? She could attempt to become his friend, but then again, it would most likely be frowned upon as she was a mere "subordinate" and he was a "powerful" ghoul. She could try to mask it, but what good would that do.

As Lith's stomach grumbled again she decided to eat. "Thank you for providing me a meal. I promise, it won't go to waste." whispered Lith as she began munching on the flesh.

—

As weeks passed, Lith decided to visit Anteiku. She hadn't visited ever since the incident, but she really needed a good cup of coffee in difficult times like these. With opened the front door and was greeted by a sweet yet strong aroma.

"Welcome!" greeted a black-haired boy. Lith's expression quickly changed when she saw who it was.

"Ne, aren't you Kenki-sama? Yeah, you are!" squealed Lith as she hugged him.

"Ummm… who are you?" asked Kaneki with a confused look.

"Don't you remember me? I was working here when you came to the cafe a few weeks ago with your orange haired friend." explained Lith. She began to circle him as she caught a weird smell coming from him.

Kaneki laughed nervously as Lith grabbed Touka by the arm and dragged her towards the kitchen.

"Why does he smell like Rize!?" Lith asked as she began to question the purple-haired ghoul. "Didn't she die?"

As Touka quickly began to explain the current situation, Lith's emotions quickly changed. This was unbelievable! An artificial One-Eyed Ghoul!? What was going on here?

Lith decided to confront Kaneki about it and dragged him upstairs.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Sorry for another short chapter, I hope the next one will be longer.

As Kaneki showed a dumbfound face, Lith began talking all at once, to the point where even she didn't understand what she was saying anymore.

"You should calm down, little girl." said Kaneki in a nervous voice. This caused Lith to explode. As Touka walked in, she saw the commotion and grabbed Lith by her shirt's collar.

"LET ME AT 'EM!" she scream in fury as she began kicking in the air. Touka dropped her and Lith tumbled to the ground. When she looked up, the entire mood had changed as they saw steam coming out of her ears.

"I am not a little girl! For your information, I'm 14!" screamed Lith as she saw Kaneki laughing.

"That's still pretty young." said Kaneki.

So then, she must be around Ayato's age, shouldn't she? Pondered Touka as she examined the little girl. She began to think how they would get along, and burst out laughing at the thought of them arguing.

"Geez, you guys are no better than _him_!" cried Lith as she burst out of the room and into the hallway.

—

As Eto watched a steaming Lith walk out of Anteiku, she began to ponder about what she could make her do for amusement. Of course, watching her interact as a subordinate was entertaining enough, but she wanted her to be in an interesting scenario. Maybe she would make her interact with humans a bit more?

It would be interesting to see how Ayato would react to her going to a middle school. Especially since he was very opposing to the idea of getting along with humans. Maybe she could even add him into one too! He was, after all, in no position to deny her authority over him and Lith.

—

As Lith began to walk back to Aogiri, she was stopped by a beautiful green-haired woman. Wait-GREEN-HAIRED WOMAN?!

"Eto!?" squealed Lith as she stumbled back. The sweet face she was once looking at turned shady.

"Be quiet, will you?" mumbled Eto as she placed a hand on Lith's shoulder. Lith began to break out into a cold sweat. What did she want? Was she going to break her promise and make Lith hurt someone? Was she going to "dispose" of her? What was she thinking?

"Calm down, rookie. I have a "mission" for you and Ayato." said Eto as she began to walk with Lith towards Aogiri. "I need you to infiltrate a private school. I think they have some powerful ghouls that could disrupt our goal. Could you do that for me?"

"I'm not too sure about that. After all, there are probably humans there too." replied Lith with a doubtful look.

"I didn't really mean that as a question. This is an order from a superior." roared Eto in an annoyed voice.

—

As Lith finished explaining to Ayato, he had a murderous look in his eyes.

"Tch, she's always playing with us for her amusement. I don't see the point in it. If I did that, I'd be no better than my sister." mumbled Ayato as he began pacing back and forth.

"Ne, at least we'll be together!" exclaimed Lith in an enthusiastic voice.

"That's what I'm worried about…" mumbled Ayato as he walked out the door. With was left there, wondering about what she could do to get along with her classmates. She was really excited, but also worried about what Eto was planning to make them do. After all, bot Lith and Ayato had never really been in a school before, much less a private and luxurious school. This made Lith feel faint, as she daydreamed about what it would be like.

She continued to daydream as she walked towards the Grand Hall. She was followed by whispers, snickers and taunts as she headed towards the meeting place.

—

"Geez, I thought that meeting would never end!" complained to a new subordinate of Ayato, named Banjo. He just stared at her. How could she be so carefree? He had to carry the weight of the lives of the people who lived in that ward before it was invaded by Aogiri Tree and made into their new base.

"Let's get back to the base, Lith. We need to prepare for the mission." roared Ayato.

"I'm fine. I already did anyway. I'll just go explore the forest a bit." she said in a teasing tone as she headed in the opposite direction. Abate decided to go on without his subordinate, since it was impossible to stop her when Lith put her mind to doing something.

—

As Lith began to wander through the forest, she began to hum. It was such a peaceful place where she could relax and practice her combat moves. She needed to continue learning new techniques, so she decided to read a book about martial arts. Hopefully, it would give her some useful tips on how to disable an enemy without having to hurt them. As she sat down under a large tree, she began to hear some rustling.

Lith decided to ignore it, attempting to pay attention to the descriptions in the text and the pictures of what the positions were supposed to look like. With began to hear a lot of snickers, to the point where she could no longer concentrate on her studying.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!?" roared Lith as she got up and cracked her knuckles. Silently, five ghouls came down from the trees and surrounded her. They looked a bit older than her, and definitely not very powerful, but they seemed quite confident in their abilities.

"Aw, does the little lady want to read?" teased one of the strongest looking ghouls from the whole group. The entire group burst into a fit of laughter as she turned bright red.

Lith decided that she needed to teach these bullies a lesson. She quietly approached the leader and whispered in his ear. "Little lady, huh? Then what does that make you?" Lith pulled his cheeks, just like she had done to Ayato the first time she had met him.

"Let go! That hurts!" he screamed as the rest of the group members approached him, attempting to make her let go. As she did, she attempted to use a new technique that she had read about on them.

"You shall now be my guinea pigs!" exclaimed Lith as she attempted to use pressure points on the poor ghouls. They worked successfully and paralyzed them.

"She's a monster!" they screamed as they squirmed on the ground, trying to get back up. Lith skipped away, deciding that it was probably time for her to get back to the base.

—

As Lith lied on the couch, wide awake, she continued to wonder what it would be like to enter a human school. When she finally fell asleep, she continued to toss and turn, worrying about everything that could go wrong.

"Are you alright, one-san?" asked a little boy who belonged to Banjo's group.

"Yeah, I'm just a little worried, that's all." replied Lith in a confident voice.

She turned around and went back to sleep, hoping the little boy would stop worrying and do the same.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** OMG! I'm on a roll here! Three chapters in less than 24 hours! I really need to study, but I can't bring myself to do it! :'( Anyways, enjoy this slightly longer chapter (in comparison to the last one, of course)!

—

"WAKE UP!" screamed Lith in Ayato's ear.

As Ayato grumbled he punched Lith in the head. "Ow! That hurt, you know!" complained Lith like a little girl.

"Shut up and get ready to go, you idiot." replied Ayato as he got up. Lith turned bright red when she noticed what she was doing. She quickly scrambled out of his room and headed downstairs. She was once again followed by whispers, especially as she was dressed in a school uniform.

Lith burst out of the base and took out her rinkaku, jumping from rooftop to rooftop as she headed towards the school. This unfortunately caused a lot of commotion on the streets bellow as they spotted a ghoul with a mask jumping around the city in the middle of the day.

Lith finally realized the mistake she was making when she began to see blockades around the city. It seemed that people had called the CCG with reports on a ghoul. She nervously glanced at the three doves that seemed to follow her on the streets.

She needed to hide, and fast. She'd have to do something that would surprise them long enough for her to escape, so she came up with a plan. She stopped on top of a small building, waiting for the doves to begin climbing. As one of the dove's eyes came into Lith's vision, she saluted to him and dramatically jumped backwards, off the building.

—

As Lith gazed at the school, she began seeing, hearing and smelling so many new things. There were so many humans, but she could sometimes smell the odd ghoul here and there. Lith began walking around the entrance of the school and saw an adult.

"Ne, do you know where 8th grade is? This is my first day here, and I'm not sure where to go…" Lith quietly asked as the teacher turned to face her.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you. Could you repeat that again?" asked the teacher.

"Do you know where 8th grade is?" Lith asked in a slightly louder tone.

"I still can't hear you." said the teacher with a plain expression.

"DO YOU KNOW WHERE 8TH GRADE IS!?" screamed Lith.

"Now, now, young lady, you should know better than to raise your voice in school." replied the teacher. "Since you seem to be new, I'll forgive you. But the next time you'll get detention."

As the teacher explained, Lith began to get more and more nervous. As the bell rang, she headed straight towards the classroom, worried about being late and getting scolded once again on her first day of school. As she walked in, she noticed that the students in her class were already there. As she closed the door, everyone watched her, including the teacher.

Lith quickly began to panic as the teacher walked towards her and lead her to the front of the class. "Everyone, this is Lith. She is a new transfer student who until now was home-schooled. Would you like to introduce yourself?" asked the teacher.

"Um, sure. Hi! My name is Lith, although you probably already know that. Um, thank you for having me here!" squeaked Lith as she quickly bowed down and looked at the teacher with nervous eyes.

"You can have a seat in the back. Choose between either of the two empty seats." stated the teacher.

As Lith quickly stumbled towards her spot, she wondered who was supposed to sit there. Maybe they were absent?

Suddenly, the door slammed open and Ayato walked in, yawning. With slammed her head on the desk which caused everyone, including Ayato, to face her. "This can't be happening." she mumbled as she began to curse at the luck she always had.

"A-anyways class, this is another transfer student, Ayato Kirishima." the teacher said, attempting to get the snickering students to pay attention. "Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"

"Not really. I'm just hear because I have to, so if you get in my way, you'll be sorry." stated Ayato as he went to sit beside Lith. Lith quickly turned her head away from Ayato, clearly mad at the fact that he was in the same class as her. And that he had decided to sit beside her. Although he didn't really have an option, since all the other seats were taken.

As the class began to start, Ayato fell asleep. No one wanted to wake him up, due to the fact that they were afraid. After all, not only did he talk like he was serious, but he even had the muscles to prove his physical ability.

—

As a loud bell rang through the school, the students of the 8th grade class stormed out.

"Ne, ne, Ayato, wake up!" whispered Lith as she gently shook him. Unknown to her, the students were eagerly watching how the two new students were and how they interacted.

Ayato raised his head, punched her in the face, and went back to sleep. The atmosphere around Lith quickly changed as she turned red (from anger, of course) and clenched her fists.

"WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!" roared Lith in Ayato's ear. Due to ghouls having exceptional hearing, they were also very sensitive. He jumped back in surprise and fell of his seat.

"Tch. What was that for?" grumbled Ayato as he got up. An infuriated Lith grabbed him by the ear and dragged him towards the cafeteria. As Lith noticed that everyone was watching them, she decided to buy some food and stay away from Ayato. He needed to learn to socialize. And so did she!

As she quietly sat down at an empty table, she was approached by a girl from her class.

"Can I sit here?" she asked as she curiously watched Lith.

"Sure." said Lith while eating her food, completely unaware of the fact that it was bad manners to do so.

"Have you enjoyed the school so far?"

"To be honest, it was hard to concentrate during class due to Ayato's constant drooling." responded Lith, laughing nervously. "But yeah, it looks fun."

—

At the end of the day, it was Ayato that dragged Lith out of the class. "Awe come on! I wanted to talk with some of the students in the class! This isn't fair!" complained Lith.

"Look, we aren't here to make friends. We come here on a mission and we need to find out the abilities of the ghouls that go to this school." whispered Ayato as they passed through the hallway. Students gawked at the odd pair as they made their way down the hall.

"Aren't those the new transfer students?"

"He looks so dreamy~"

"I wish I was being dragged around by him like that."

"I wonder if they're dating."

"She looks adorable!"

Both Ayato and Lith turned red as they heard the whispers going through the hallway. They quickly stormed out.

"Geez, tomorrow, make sure you don't fall asleep in class so I don't have to wake you up." said Lith as they walked towards the Aogiri Tree base.

"It's not your job to wake me up." responded Ayato.

"It's my job to make sure you stay out of trouble." stated Lith.

"Since when?" asked Ayato.

Lith stopped talking as she thought about it. It wasn't really her job, so why was she doing it? She shrugged off the question and continued walking. "Wouldn't it be better to stay at the dorms? It would be easier to hide our identities and if anyone follows us, we won't look suspicious."

"Probably. Although I don't want to be with those humans 24/7."

"I think thats a great idea. I'll meet with your principle to arrange everything." said Eto.

Ayato and Lith jumped. They hadn't noticed Eto approach them. As quickly as she appeared, Eto disappeared.

—

The next day, Lith was approached by several girls in her class during lunch time. They all began to ask questions.

"Are you dating Ayato?"

"Do you like him?"

"Does he have a crush on you?"

"Is Ayato dating anyone?"

"Is Ayato mean?"

"What does he like?"

"How do you know him?"

"Are you related?"

Lith turned redder and redder by every question. "Enough! I want to eat peacefully! Leave me alone!" She left her seat and headed towards the soccer field. Where was Ayato? Hopefully, he wasn't feasting on a student… The thought of it made Lith shudder.

"Watch out!" yelled the boys in the soccer field as the ball headed straight for Lith's face. In an instant, she caught the ball with one hand. She was really pi**ed off. Lith walked towards the field with a scary looking face.

"Who kicked this ball?" she asked with a sudden sweet smile.

"It was me." replied a boy from her class named Jisaki.

"Apologize." mumbled Lith.

"What? Why would I do that? It's your fault for being there in the first place." Jisaki said in a taunting voice.

"Now you're in for it." teased Ayato as he appeared from behind.

Lith walked towards Jisaki and lifted him by the collar (she was surprisingly strong, although that's to be expected, since she's a ghoul after all).

"Never, and I mean NEVER do that again." whispered Lith. She let him go and tossed the ball at him.

As Lith walked away, the students stared in awe at her courage. After all, he was one of the strongest yet meanest students in the school.

—

"Wow, she really showed him!"

"I can't believe she could even lift him! He must weigh a ton, considering his size in comparison to her."

More whispers followed her throughout the day. As she walked by a high school class, she encountered Jisaki once again. This time, she noticed that there was a small elementary girl in a corner, sobbing.

"Like I said, give me your allowance." said Jisaki as his friends began to kick her. Nobody in the hallway attempted to help her, due to the fact that they were either afraid of him, or admired him. Even Ayato stood beside a locker, watching in amusement.

"Did you not learn your lesson last time?" whispered Lith as she approached him. Most of his friends backed away, afraid of what she could possibly be thinking.

Jisaki snickered. "Do you really think you could beat me?"

"Sure, why not?" replied Lith as she faced him. Jisaki attempted to punch Lith when she grabbed him by the arm and flipped him. Everyone gasped as they saw Jisaki stand. It appeared he had hit his face on the floor and had gotten a bloody nose.

Lith took this opportunity to lift the girl to her feet. "Are you alright?" she asked as she tilted her head towards the right.

The little girl burst into tears once again. "Thank you, onee-sama!"

As Lith walked the little girl to her class, she was approached by Ayato. "Seems like you're making quite a lot of friends." he teased.

"Many more than you." replied Lith.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late update everyone! Hopefully after Monday I'll be able to update more often, due to the fact that all of my tests were suddenly pushed to a single date (something a logical person would obviously do). Anyways, enjoy!

—

 **Chapter 7:**

"This is the key to your apartment." said the manager of the apartment building.

"Thank you!" chirped Lith as she took the key and jumped up the stairs, all the way to the twenty fourth floor. Even though there was an elevator, Lith had decided that she needed some exercise and needed to stretch her legs. After all, the elevator would take longer for her to use.

As she unlocked the door, she gazed at her apartment. That was when she saw a human inside. "Welcome! You must be the new roommate. My master is currently in her room, but she should be out soon to greet you."

"Nice to meet you!" replied Lith with a smile. She started to smell around for the other human. Instead she caught the scent of a ghoul. This surprised Lith. Could she be the one that Eto asked her to investigate?

There was a creak in the distance which caused Lith to turn around. A tall girl with short, pink hair walked out, yawning. "Hello! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." said Lith as she bowed down, showing respect.

"Yeah, yeah, just stay out of my way. Maid-san, make me some coffee. And make sure it's good." said the ghoul.

"Y-yes master." stuttered the nervous maid.

"Ne, what's your name?" asked Lith.

"Yoka Yushimori, but address me as _Miss_ Yushimori. "

"I think I'll stick to Yoka- _chan._ By the way, I'm Lith." stated Lith.

"I know that, we're in the same class." mumbled Yoka as Lith headed towards her room.

A fuming Yoka was left behind as the Lith closed the door. "Can you believe her? She has no authority to call me that. I can't believe she didn't even recognize me! That idiotic human will become my meal if she doesn't smarten up."

At this statement, the maid broke out into a cold sweat. As she handed Yoka a cup of coffee, she became more aware of the situation she was in. One wrong move and the ghoul she served would have her as an appetizer.

—

"So, did you like your apartment, Ayato?" asked Lith as they sat on a tree branch.

"Tch, not really. I got stuck with a nerd." mumbled Ayato.

"But they're the best! You should be nice to him! It would be great if you could make a friend or two." said Lith as she swung upside down. She quickly saw Ayato look away.

Lith squealed as she flipped and landed on the ground. "Next time warn me that I'm wearing a skirt!" she said as her face became flushed.

"It's not my responsibility. Either way, I'm not interested in a runt like you." stated Ayato as he jumped down and landed beside Lith gracefully.

"Well, geez. You should at least be more politer to a lady like me." replied Lith.

"Yeah right, grandma." said Ayato as he walked away.

Lith became furious and attempted to kick Ayato in the back, but he caught her foot as she was in mid-air and flipped her, causing her to crash on the ground. "That wasn't fair!" complained Lith as they walked towards the classroom.

Lith noticed that the hallways were empty, causing her to panic. "Nooooo! I'm late! She screamed as she ran up some stairs and headed towards her class. She slammed the door open and was about to run to her seat when she saw the teacher and skidded to a halt.

"You better have a good explanation for this." stated the teacher as she watched Lith squirm.

"Oh, well, you see, I got a little lost, and then I found Ayato, and then we walked here but noticed that classes had already started and-" began to mumbled Lith as she nervously laughed. Ayato walked into the classroom and cut Lith off in the middle of her explanation.

"Don't include me in your excuses, idiot." said Ayato as he walked past Lith and headed towards his seat.

The startled teacher pushed back her glasses with her index finger as she began to address the troublesome transfer students. "In order to ensure that you don't do it again, will receive punishment. I'll meet you here after school for detention. Don't be late."

Lith could swear that she heard Yoka laugh in front of her, but decided not to bother and began to write notes (meanwhile Ayato hid his face behind a book and fell asleep)

—

As the bell rang, Lith dragged Ayato towards the homeroom classroom. "Goodness gracious, I feel like your mom!" complained Lith as they stopped in front of the door and walked in. Lith began to have an ominous feeling as she headed to the back of the room. She could feel the stares of problematic students as she sat down.

Ayato decided to lean against a wall in the back, getting a view of all the students in detention. It appeared that there were no other ghouls besides him and Lith.

"I'm glad everyone could make it, though you all didn't have a choice." said scary looking teacher who walked in. Lith quickly stood up and raised her hand.

"What is it?" asked the teacher with a mouthful of bubblegum.

"Where is the other teacher?" asked Lith as she noticed that she smelled like a ghoul.

"I'm the disciplinary teacher who is in charge of you problematic children. My name is Tutsa-sensei."

Lith sat down and took out her notebook. She was about to start doing her homework when the teacher suddenly appeared in front of her and threw her notebook in the trash. "From now on, you aren't a good student. You are under my care and you shall do as I say."

"No way!" roared Lith as she stood up to face the rude ghoul. Tutsa-sensei grabbed Lith by the arm and was going to pull her towards the office when Lith pulled back and stormed off. Furious, Lith headed straight to her apartment as the problematic students watched her in surprise.

Ayato decided it was time to leave and grabbed his backpack, heading out the room. Surprisingly, Tutsa-sensei didn't attempt to stop them.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Ayato as he followed Lith.

"Leave me alone." said Lith

"Aren't you the one who said we had to listen to the teachers and behave?" stated Ayato as he grabbed her by the back of the shirt's collar.

"Will you stop following me!?" Lith cried as she changed her direction and threw her backpack. Annoyed, Ayato picked her backpack up ran after her. He was about to catch up to her when she stopped, causing Ayato to crash into Lith. As Lith was about to fall, Ayato caught her and noticed that she was crying.

"What are you throwing a tantrum for? It's just a teacher." stated Ayato. He let her go and she fell onto the grass. Lith sniffed and quickly wiped her tears.

"You wish." she responded as she grabbed her backpack from his hand and walked away.

"Tch, what a troublesome ghoul." mumbled Ayato as he headed towards his own apartment.

—

"Now all I need is some sleep. I need to relax and think about how I'm going to resolve this situation in a humane manner." mumbled Lith under her breath.

"Things didn't go as planned?" teased Yoka.

"Nope. And I think I also got Ayato in trouble." replied Lith, though she mumbled the last part.

"Address me properly, commoner!" roared Yoka. Lith decided to ignore that comment and dumped her backpack on the couch. Yoka wanted to eat Lith then and there, but decided not to, as it would leave a mess and she could be discovered.

As Lith approached the window in her room, she wondered if school was not as she imagined. She had't even been there for a week and she was already in trouble. She couldn't get along with anyone (Ayato didn't count, he was too annoying) and her own roommate detested her.

Lith lied down on her bed and decided to take a nap. She tossed and turned, just like a few days ago when she was anticipating to be able to attend school. Ayato was right. Ghouls shouldn't try to act like humans due to the fact that it was impossible to blend in. It was times like these when she wished she could have kept the puppies. A few days prior to attending the school, she had dropped them off at a shelter. Hopefully that way they could find a caring family who could take care of all their needs.

—

Lith awoke suddenly, remembering that she had homework to do. She turned a checked her clock. It seemed like she had fallen asleep for a while, noticing that it was two hours before her alarm set off.

Lith clicked on the lights and grabbed her notebook. As she began to do her homework, she could feel someone watching her. She didn't really pay much attention to it, until she was grabbed from behind and was drugged.

"Make sure she's asleep." heard Lith in the distance as she began to slowly lose consciousness. As Lith was shoved into a bag, the kidnappers left the room through the window (which if people don't remember is on the twenty fourth floor).

—

"Don't forget to restrain her."

Lith slowly began to regain consciousness. She yawned and attempted to stretch out her arms, she noticed that she couldn't. Panicking, she tried to move her legs, but couldn't. Frightened, she tried to use her kagune but it wouldn't materialize.

"It seems you have awakened. Do you remember me?" asked a tall ghoul in a lab coat. Lith recognized him and began to attempt to escape, even though she knew it was useless. Realizing that she was back at V, Lith began to worry about what would happen. Would she be punished for attempting to escape? For joining Aogiri Tree? For going to a school? For befriending a reckless ghoul?

"It seems that we still need to do some testing. You seem to be too friendly to your enemies." stated the ghoul as he began to examine her. "You seem to need a new personality…"

He walked out of the room for a few minutes while Lith was watched by some guards. When he returned, he was pushing a metal cart with a needle and a case with different surgical instruments. "This will hurt a little…" he said with a smile as he picked up the needle and inserted it into her eye.

Lith screamed in agony as she began to lose consciousness. "Goodness, no need to exaggerate, guinea pig." said the doctor as he began to pick up his instruments.

—

 **Author's Note:** I wasn't expecting myself to end it like that, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. I felt like I had created a Mary Sue character and the story wouldn't be too interesting. Also, this is where the story should get a bit interesting (I hope).


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** That'll  probably be it for a few days. If anyone has suggestions, message me please! Don't forget to review and if you enjoyed it, follow. Thank you!

—

 **Chapter 8:**

"Remember your training, OEG1." said as he opened a large steel door. As OEG1 walked in, she sniffed the air. Her opponents that day were five humans. They were wearing long, white coats and had quinques. They seemed to be very nervous, except for one. A petit, beige-haired woman stood in the front. Although she was shaking, she had a firm grip and looked ready to defend her teammates.

"That is adorable~" said OEG1 as she casually walked towards the brave investigator. The investigator used her purple rinkaku quinque to hit OEG1 in the stomach but failed.

"Good try! But not good enough!" stated OEG1 as she grabbed the investigator's quinque and crushed it with her bare hands. Surprised, the investigator attempted to run to safety as the other investigators cowered in the corner. OEG1 grabbed the investigator by the neck and lifted her into the air. Looking at her frightened eyes, OEG1 laughed as she squeezed and let the corpse fall.

"Who's next?" asked OEG1 as she watched the horrified doves run. OEG1 took out her Rinkaku kagune and got hold of all the investigators.

"Good night~" whispered OEG1 with a smile seconds before they fell limply to the floor, covering her in blood.

—

That night, OEG1 was feasting on a young ghoul when walked in.

"For tomorrow, we have a special opponent prepared. It'll most likely be easy in your case but you must not let your guard down." warned as OEG1 smirked.

"It'll be easy. After all, I'm the strongest in the entire organization!" laughed OEG1 as she ate the last part of her meal before delicately wiping her mouth with a white cloth.

"Wash this for me, will you?" said OEG1 as she threw the cloth towards and left.

"Who does he think he is, bossing me around like that." OEG1 mumbled as she headed towards the deeper parts of the 24th ward, her current home. She caught the smell of a familiar ghoul and decided to quietly follow. A blue-haired ghoul, around her age, was heading in the direction of the One-Eyed Owl's territory.

Interesting…maybe if she caught him and forced him to give her information, she would get promoted. Although she still found it suspicious that she somehow met him and didn't remember, she decided to approach him from behind.

"I know you're there, Lith." said a familiar voice. He turned around and face OEG1 with an angry look. He grabbed her by the shoulders and began to shake her.

"Where have you been, idiot! I've looked everywhere for you! Eto told me that you were most likely recaptured by V!" the ghoul said, his face looking a bit flushed. An offended OEG1 punched the strange ghoul in the face, sending him flying towards the concrete wall.

The ghoul began to cough up some blood and began to regenerate his deformed face. "What was that for?" asked the seemingly idiotic ghoul.

"I don't know you and I don't care about you. If you touch me again you won't be able to regenerate that pretty face of yours." stated OEG1 as she licked her knuckles clean of any blood left by the ghoul.

"You don't taste too bad…" mumbled OEG1 with a maniacal smile. With a hungry look in her eyes, she walked towards him but abruptly stopped when she saw his frightened face.

Why was he so familiar? He seemed to know her, but she didn't remember him. Could he be someone she knew before she "lost" her memory? had told her that her past self was too weak and friendly so he "modified" her to be tougher and less merciful. During this period, approximately one month had passed.

She felt a tear make its way down her cheek. "What's wrong with me? Why is this happening!?" screamed OEG1 as she felt a rush of sadness. Frustrated, she ran back towards V's base and never looked back, hoping she would return to normal once that pitiful creature was out of her sight.

—

"Remember, this is a strong opponent, so you need to stay concentrated at all times." explained as he led OEG1 down the hall and headed towards the steel door.

"Right." replied OEG1. noticed that she was distracted but decided that it wouldn't matter.

"Don't forget that this is your final exam. Depending on the result, you may be allowed to work officially outside of the 24th ward." opened the large steel door and let OEG1 pass. He gave the signal and as the door slammed shut, the chains that were restraining a ghoul were unlocked.

An SS rated ghoul with the alias "Joker" was OEG1's opponent. When Joker saw who he was supposed to be executed by, he began to laugh, very similarly to the comic-book villain he was named after.

Joker's face suddenly turned into a crazy-looking grin as he took out his incomplete kakuja and jumped, out of OEG1's range of view. Before she knew what was happening, her arm was chopped off by Joker's blade. He began to ramble nonsense as he continued to attack her.

OEG1 felt frustrated because a lowly ghoul such as him was able to hurt her enough to remove a limb. Even though she had excellent regeneration, it still annoyed her, especially the fact that it wasn't even a complete kakuja.

OEG1 realized that she needed to act serious if she wanted to defeat a strong (though she didn't want to admit it) ghoul. She revealed her own kakuja and sliced him into multiple pieces.

As she left the room, began to ask her questions. "Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted. Is there anything I could do to help you?"

"Yes. Find a male blue-haired ghoul around my age and bring him to me. You most likely know who I am referring to, as he called me by my former name, Lith." stated OEG1 as she walked in the direction of the kitchen. She had only lost an arm and already felt like she was starving.

"Do you have a specific reason, Miss?" asked as he followed the hungry ghoul.

OEG1 simply replied, "I just need to crush him myself in order to have peace of mind."

—

When Ayato opened his eyes, he noticed he was chained to a seat inside of a large, dark room. He didn't know how or when he got there, only that his kagune wasn't working. He began to yell, attempting to see if anyone would come.

"I see that you're awake, Ayato Kirishima. I'll go inform _her_." said . After "conversing" with Ayato, he left the room and headed for OEG1's occupation. A few minutes later, a steel door slammed open and OEG1 walked in. She clicked on the lights before facing Ayato.

As closed the steel door, OEG1 walked towards the confused ghoul. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Not really, Lith. You're acting really strange. Don't tell me they did something to you." he said in a plain voice.

"Well, you seem to be a problem. You see, ever since the last time I met you, I've been having crazy headaches and I can't get you out of my mind." OEG1 said.

"Are you possibly in loooooooove?" teased Ayato, unaware of the situation he was in. OEG1 took out her kagune in the shape of a blade going down her left arm. She pointed it at Ayato's neck and snickered. A few drops of blood began to drip as Ayato began to panic. He couldn't use his kagune, arms, or legs. What else could he do? It was useless.

"Don't kill me." said Ayato.

"Why would I spare you, when I've killed many more better than a ghoul like you." asked OEG1.

"Because I'm your friend?" replied Ayato, though he himself didn't know if this was true.

"You're just a pathetic ghoul." giggled OEG1 as she pushed her kagune a bit deeper. As more blood began to drip, Ayato became more aware of the fact that she wasn't going to listen to him. What had happened to the sweet ghoul he knew?

"Why won't you remember me!?" screamed Ayato as his wound almost became larger. Ayato shut his eyes tightly, hoping she would get it over with soon. OEG1 lowered her kagune as she stumbled backwards.

"What are you doing to me!?" roared OEG1 as tears began to stream down her face, just like the day before. Just as she did, there was an explosion which caused her to lose her balance. When the smoke cleared, Ayato was gone.

—

 **Author's Note:** Should I add in a bit chemistry between the two (apart from the teasing)? I'm not sure how to add it since Ayato is an idiot when it comes to this (and in general ;) ).


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

"Damn it! Why does my head hurt so much?" complained OEG1 as she looked at herself in the mirror. As she attempted to read a note she found on her mirror, she began to feel dizzy. She fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

—

"Ne, ne, Ayato- _kun_! Where are you? I need some help!" echoed a cheerful voice.

"Tch. Go play with the little kids and leave me alone, idiot." replied a familiar voice.

"Awww come on, please?" asked the cheerful voice.

"Go away. You're annoying!" roared the familiar voice.

OEG1 saw the outline of a girl walking towards a taller and more intimidating outline. Although they looked fuzzy, she attempted to get a closer look at the faces of the mysterious people. When the girl touched the shoulder of the other outline, the other figure turned and punched the girl. Somehow, the girl had caught the person's fist.

"You're going to have to try better than that to overpower me!" teased the cheerful voice as she let go of the fist. As the other figure began to walk away, OEG1 was able to see part of it's face.

"The blue-haired ghoul?" mumbled OEG1 as she continued to watch.

"Don't run away from me, you moron!" complained the cheerful voice as she jumped towards the other figure and hugged him from behind. He immediately punched her in the face, causing her to go flying.

"Don't be so mean!" said girl as she got up. The figures began to disappear, but for a split-second, OEG1 thought the girl looked (or was) her.

—

"OEG1!" said a voice as she began to regain consciousness. What was going on? What was that? What did she just see?

"Are you all right?" asked as he began to examine her eyes. OEG1 quickly took out her blade kagune as a precaution, but noticed that she was safe so it dematerialized.

"Taro, something is wrong. I think I'm getting my memories back." said OEG1. Just who was _that_ ghoul? What did he mean to her in the past, before she lost her memory?

—

"You're welcome~" said a bandaged ghoul.

"I didn't ask for your help. I was fine on my own." replied Ayato. Eto pulled Ayato downwards by his jacket to see him face-to-face.

"Look here, you ungrateful ghoul. One misstep and you're out. Soon, there will be an attack on our base by the CCG. I need you to bring Rize-san, the binge eating ghoul. Yamori is has also been given that task. Ensure that she doesn't get away!" roared Eto.

Once Ayato arrived at his designated place in the Aogiri Tree base, he headed towards the storage where he could find some food to help with help regeneration. After all, the wound Lith had given him was deep. It was surprising what one month could do to someone.

That wasn't Lith anymore. Not the one he had come to know, anyways. After a few seconds, he noticed that he was thinking a little too much about that idiot ghoul. Why did that always happen? He hadn't felt this way in so many years, yet at the same time it felt so different. Wait…what was he doing thinking about feelings? He was a powerful, merciless ghoul, not a _manga_ character gushing over a girl.

"Great, I forgot. I still have to go to school." thought Ayato out loud as he chowed down on a terribly preserved arm.

—

"Currently, there have been multiple reports of CCG investigators disappearing under unknown circumstances. More on that, after this announcement."

Inside the empty coffee shop, the customer bell rang and a tall man walked in.

"Welcome." said a nervous, black-haired college student. Kaneki turned around to face a serious looking man.

"Is the shop manager here?" asked the tall man. Kaneki gawked as he replied.

"Why did you suddenly come here?" he answered. "The manager? He's out right now…"

"If you have some business here then I'll bring out a cup of coffee, sir." stated Touka as she appeared from behind the counter.

"What did you…say…!?" asked the shocked man. An unamused Touka watched him as he began to talk gibberish.

"…Oh…it's…a girl?" He began to break out into a cold sweat as Touka was suddenly startled by his statement. The man yelped before he continued to talk.

"There's something I'd like to know…I can ask you guys as well."

"Um…how about I pass along a message to the manager about your business?" asked Kaneki as he noticed the three ghouls beside the giant man.

"Do you two…know Kamishiro Rize?" asked the man. A startled Kaneki glanced at Touka with a look that read, 'could it be an investigator?'.

Touka shook her head in response, as if to say it was a ghoul. Because of this, Kaneki began to question the identity of the mysterious ghoul.

"We'll talk further inside. Follow me." stated Touka as she led the ghouls towards the second floor, where they sat down (except for the three, hooded ghouls).

"Show us your eyes." said Touka, as if to confirm that he was in fact, a ghoul. The man closed his eyes and when he opened them, they had turned a different colour.

"Is this good enough?" asked the ghoul. When Touka and Kaneki nodded to each other, the ghoul began to talk.

"I am 'Banjou'. I was in the 11th ward with Rize-san." he began to explain.

"Well then, why are you searching for Rize?" asked Touka.

"So you know her!?" questioned Banjou in surprise. Then, he began to mumble to himself. "As I thought, Rize-san definitely came to this shop.."

"So, where in the hell is Rize-san now…?" asked Banjou.

"Hm…? Dunno~" lied Touka as she began to scratch her head.

Was this person an acquaintance of Rize-san? He doesn't seem to know that she's already dead…

As Kaneki continued to stare at the man, Banjou suddenly slammed his hand on the coffee table and watched the One-Eyed Ghoul. Kaneki was surprised at the sudden change in character as the ghoul began to sniff (poor) Kaneki. Why did ghouls always do this to him? This triggered the thought of Tsukiyama-san and made Kaneki shudder.

"Why? Why can I smell Rize-san's scent on you?" the angry man inquired as he lifted the dumbfound Kaneki by the collar.

"Hold on…! Don't get violent in the shop!" began to say Touka as she attepted to save Kaneki from the clutches of the weird ghoul.

"Are you Rize-san's boyfriend!?" screamed Banjou.

"Wha…?" began to stutter Kaneki. "No…I-Rize-sa…my girlfriend…" Banjou grit his teeth and tried to punch Kaneki.

"SHE'S YOUR GIRLFRIEND!?"

"No, no, you've got it all wrong!" begged Kaneki.

 **Meanwhile…**

"Is he always like this?" asked Touka to one of the subordinates.

"Well, in general…" they replied.

Kaneki grabbed Banjou's arm and hit him in the back of the head with his elbow.

"Crap! I accidentally…" panicked Kaneki. This is the result of my training with Touka-chan and Yomo-san…

"I'm sorry…uh…umm…I…" mumbled Banjou before he lost consciousness on the ground. He's out cold…thought everyone as they saw his limp body.

"Just as we figured, huh?" said one subordinate.

"Sorry about our leader." apologized another.

"…so weak." mumbled Touka in astonishment.

—

While Banjou was unconscious, he kept on murmuring about Rize. None of his followers know the reason to why he was looking for Rize-san, but they thought that had fallen in love with her. During this time, Kaneki had decided to tell Banjou what had happened to Rize.

Unbeknown to them, Banjou's cellphone had been ringing none-stop on the counter.

—

"Che, that meathead can't do anything." growled Ayato. He tossed his cellphone aside as he continued complaining. "Jeez, what is that dumbs doing? Useless trash."

"If this 'Yamori' and that fag are going to surpass me…since the merit of 'securing Rize' is huge…" said Ayato to himself before he was interrupted.

"Boss, you came from the 20th ward, right? Do you know the conditions there pretty well…?" asked one of Ayato's subordinates.

"I knew a lot before, but I don't know what's going on there now…but it doesn't matter. Basically, there are just a bunch of peace-loving idiots." explained Ayato. At that last part, he remembered Lith, the most idiot of the idiotic.

"Even my 'family' was a bunch of peace-loving idiots, now that I think about it."

—

As the followers of Banjou began to talk, Touka had other things on her mind. Had the tall man woken up yet?

"Oh man, this coffee is really tasty."

"Ain't it?"

A few moments, Banjou opened his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" asked Kaneki as he saw the conscious man begin to get up.

"We would have let you sleep in a different room but…all the beds were too small…you're too big." stated Kaneki as he handed Banjou a glass of water.

"Sorry about earlier…I just moved my arm reflexively…" apologized Kaneki as he lowered his head.

"What's your name?" asked Banjou.

"It's Kaneki Ken."

"Kaneki, you are a lot stronger…than you look. That's probably why _that_ person chose you." admitted Banjou.

—

A while after Banjou had awakened and the ghouls began conversing, the coffee shop's glass shattered. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the window to see what had happened. A blue-haired ghoul kicked Banjou in the stomach before walking in.

"Banjou-san!" screamed Kaneki in surprise as Banjou fell to the ground.

"You sure do talk a lot, Banjou." said the reckless ghoul as he placed a foot on the small coffee table. "Do you want me to torment you until you're vomiting blood again?"

"Aya…to…!"

"Banjou-san!? Are you being violent-" asked one of Banjou's subordinates as they walked in. When they saw Banjou on the floor, they gasped.

"A-Ayato- _san…_ why are you…?" asked another subordinate as they tried to lift their leader.

"That guy wouldn't answer his cellphone. At any rate, all of the 20th ward's information is gathered here. Therefore, I went out of my way to come here. Got it, dumb-asses?"

"What a waste…they'll come to this place too…Rize-san…" mumbled Banjou.

"Did you say something, trash?" roared Ayato. As Kaneki was about to approach Ayato, Touka stormed in.

"Hold on a minute! What's all the commotion?!" complained Touka but turned wide-eyed when she saw who was there.

"A…yato…"

"Yo. Long time, no see, idiot Aneki."

—

 **Author's Note:** Sorry it took a little to publish and in the end it was mostly a recap of the manga. I promise the next chapter will be much more interesting (I hope).


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late chapter, I had to fix some plot holes. Also, it's a bit short but I'm expecting to publish another one this afternoon, so be patient!

—

 **Chapter 10:**

"Just have a little patience, Lith." said as he help up a syringe.

"No! I don't want to! It hurts so much Taro-nisan!" she yelled in horror as the five year old squirmed in her seat and tried to protect herself with her kagune.

"Why is it always me!?" screamed the little girl as the doctor grabbed some other things before walking towards her. He put on his gloves and went to work. The syringe was carefully inserted into her skin (which wasn't protected due to the Rc suppressant).

As Lith screamed out, everything went black.

"NOOOOO!" screamed OEG1. She was sleepwalking throughout her room. Her screams had caused members of V to come and see what the commotion was. They attempted to sedate her, but her kagunes and kakuja were out of control. As they attempted to calm her down, OEG1 dropped to her knees and began to grab her head, as if in pain. Her rinkaku kagune had burst out of her back and 8 tentacles began to surround her. They began whipping around her, as if to keep something or someone away.

They managed to throw a few ghouls against a wall while others were standing back and waiting for orders.

"What are we going to do?"

"She's going to attract attention to the base!"

"What are your orders, sir?"

"There're going to be casualties!"

"We destroy her kagune!"

"ENOUGH!" roared a tall ghoul. "It doesn't matter how, just stop her!" The ghouls immediately advanced and began to attack her from all sides. They even went as far as to remove her limbs.

"I don't want to go back there! Otosan! Save me Otosan!" begged OEG1 as her limbs began to regenerate. Her kakuja appeared and began to protect her like armor. Her bikaku appeared in the shape of three ''tails''.

Although OEG1 had incredible regeneration, there was also a limit. As her limbs began to take a longer time to regenerate, her kakuja and bikaku disappeared. She fell limply to the ground due to the fact that she could no longer move, and was immediately transported to one of V's laboratories.

—

"What caused her to lose control?"

"It appears as though her memories are coming back. They may be taking a toll on her mental state."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"I think the best thing is to keep her in surveillance until we are sure that she's back to normal."

"What should we do about Ayato Kirishima? It seems as though he is partially the cause."

"We should leave him as he is for now. It appears that Aogiri Tree is busy with the current situation at the CCG."

As OEG1 began to regain consciousness, she heard the conversation between and a member of V. Pretending to be asleep, she curiously continued to listen. Unfortunately a machine began to beep and distracted the scientist from his conversation.

"It seems that you're awake, OEG1." said as he watched OEG1 carefully to ensure she didn't lose control again.

"Yes, thank you for noticing. Can I leave now?" said OEG1 as she sat up.

"Unfortunately, I cannot allow that. Would you care for some coffee?" stated the doctor as he headed towards a small counter in the corner of the room. He took out a mug from a cabinet and began to pour a drink for himself.

"But I'm completely fine! I don't even get why I'm here." confessed OEG1.

"While you were sleeping, you lost control and you caused a lot of damage. Currently, you're in observation for any abnormal behaviours." explained as he sat down.

"But I don't need to be obser-"

"Just relax. You'll be out in a few weeks. In the mean time, you'll have to stay in the laboratory and train here.''

—

"Yosh! All done!" cheered OEG1 as she finished running laps. Wait…what was that? Why did she talk like that just now?

"You must be getting your old personality back. I don't blame you, after all, the current one is awful." said a voice. Surprising OEG1, she immediately turned around to find a ghoul hanging upside-down on a gymnastics bar.

"Hey there." said the ghoul as it flipped and gracefully landed on the ground. The ghoul was wearing a mask, so as to hide their identity. To further his secrecy, he was wearing a strong smelling aroma which blocked his recognition by scent alone.

"Who are you?" asked OEG1 as she pounced on the ghoul. He quickly dodged it and jumped towards some other equipment.

"Oh, you still are an idiot moron, even without your past memories." laughed the ghoul.

"You seem familiar…" said OEG1 as she continued to attempt to hit him. When she finally did, the ghoul's arm was sliced off.

"Shit, that hurts a lot." said the masked ghoul before quickly disappearing.

Who was that ghoul? Why was he here? And most importantly: How did he get in?! As OEG1's mind kept on wondering about this, she began to head to her small room, located in the lab's lower floor.

—

"How was your training today?" asked , waiting in front of her room's door.

"Boring." replied OEG1 before pushing aside and walking into her bedroom, before slamming the door. As soon as ensured that she wasn't coming out, he headed towards his office and began to report the situation.

"Yes, I let experiment 729 in. She seemed to recognize him, but didn't attempt to remember. Her memory appears to be the same and she successfully hit him when she got annoyed."

"Good. I'll be sending him in tomorrow. Hopefully, the experiment goes well."

"Yes, sir."

—


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** Sorry about this chapter, I really can't help it! :)

—

 **Chapter 11:**

"Why aren't you attacking me today?" asked the masked ghoul, who was perched up on a shelf, watching OEG1 eagerly.

"I figured that since you're able to get in with no problems, you must have been let in by a member."

"Well, that went unexpectedly…you weren't supposed to find out." said the ghoul.

"Will you please leave me alone? At the very least, be quiet. I need to train." stated OEG1 as she began to run on a treadmill. As it got faster, so did OEG1. That was, at least, until the machine broke down from overworking itself (after all, it was meant for a human).

"Piece of junk." mumbled OEG1 as she picked it up and threw it towards a pile of trash (more equipment that wasn't working).

"Amazing…" mumbled the ghoul.

"Geez. Will you shut up for a moment?" roared OEG1 before heading towards 's office.

—

"Taro, I need some custom made equipment. All the other trash is falling apart." complained OEG1.

"Well, I guess we could transport you to another base, it does have an outdoor training space." suggested before picking up his cellphone and dialling someone.

As OEG1 walked out the door, she managed to hear a few parts of his conversation.

"Have a car ready for tomorrow. We need to transport OEG1 to base #379."

—

"So, are you excited?" asked the masked ghoul as he follow her down the hall.

"Yes, because I'll be away from you." growled OEG1.

"You wound me!" teased the ghoul before quickly hiding, as he heard approach OEG1 from behind.

"I've got some great news!" said as he walked beside OEG1. "You'll be transported to one of the bases outside the city! It's near a countryside, so there won't be many disturbances. Also, you'll be having a companion who will be training with you."

"Great." mumbled OEG1 with absolutely no excitement as she raised a fist to the air. She was happy about the fact that she was going to get a better place to train, but she didn't want to find out who her 'companion' was going to be (although she had a hunch who it would be).

—

"Good afternoon, miss." said a funny smelling ghoul.

"Yeah, yeah." mumbled OEG1 as she jumped into the car. The funny smelling ghoul was wearing formal clothing and had his hair pulled back with gel. He appeared to be a bit older than OEG1 (around 16).

"Tell me, why are you so sour towards me?" asked the ghoul, staying in character.

"Oh, I don't know." grumbled OEG1 before leaning back on her seat. The ghoul climbed in and sat beside her, waiting for a better response.

"Do you find me annoying?" he asked.

"No, not at all!" said OEG1 in a sarcastic voice.

"Great!" exclaimed the ghoul.

"Are you some kind of birdbrain?" asked OEG1 as she began to pinch his cheeks. "It doesn't seem like you're wearing a disguise, so I guess you _are_ around my age."

"Did you think I would lie to you?" asked the ghoul.

"Obviously." responded OEG1.

"Do you want to know my name? So you can address me better?" he asked.

"No thanks." she stated as she asked the driver to turn on the television in the back seat (yes, they have that. I always imagined that they had a lot of money so, why wouldn't they have luxury cars XD).

OEG1 watched the scenery outside as she began to see less buildings and more farms. As she began to feel a bit sleepy, she closed her eyes.

—

A while later, the car stopped in front of a long building with a tall fence.

"Lith, wake up." mumbled the ghoul. He quickly noticed his mistake at addressing her that way. "OEG1, we're here."

When OEG1 began to (finally) wake up, she felt strange. She immediately noticed that her head was on birdbrain's shoulder and he was stroking her hair.

"You trash!" she screamed before punching him in the face. She quickly scrambled out of her seat and got her suitcase out of the car's trunk.

The ghoul heaved himself out of the car with a black eye. It immediately healed, but OEG1 sent him flying before he could say anything.

"Welcome!" said a ghoul at the entrance of the building. "You must be OEG1."

"Do you know who I am, good sir?" asked the ghoul as he composed himself.

"Of course! You must be her butler! I look forward to working with you." said the other ghoul.

The ghoul growled a bit and decided to correct him. "I'm actually her companion."

"Oh, then you must be the failed experiment." he replied with a smirk before leading OEG1 towards the room she would be staying at.

"Failed experiment?" asked OEG1 to the guide.

"Yes. A few years ago, many members attempted to create powerful ghouls but you were the only successful one. The rest are known as the _failed_ experiments and have the lowest authority in the organization." he explained in amusement as he saw the failed experiment's change in attitude.

"Here we are." said the butler. "I'll be leaving now. I think you can figure out how to get around, right?"

OEG1 mumbled a response before closing her door and unpacking her things. A failed experiment? Was that what he was? Then why was he a little familiar? Had she met him before?

There was a knock on OEG1's door before it burst open.

"Ready to start training?" asked the ghoul in excitement before dodging spikes from OEG1's kagune.

"Why are you here?" asked OEG1 as she turned to face him with an angry expression.

"Hold your horses! I'm just here to ask if you want to train with me."

"Fine. But I'm not doing it for you, so don't get the wrong idea." stated OEG1 as she headed to the bathroom to get changed.

—

"By the way, my name is Shiku!" exclaimed the ghoul, in a more relaxed form (compared to when they were in the car).

"Are you bipolar or something?" asked OEG1 as she began to stretch.

"No, I just need to act like that in front of others. After all, you are considered my superior." That's right…thought OEG1 as she began to jog on the spot. He was considered a failed experiment. She _ALMOST_ felt pity for him, but then remembered how he had acted in the car.

"I've been meaning to ask, but do you remember me at all?" asked Shiku as he began to jog with her.

"Not. At. All" said OEG1.

"That's good…" mumbled Shiku, without noticing that OEG1 had heard him.

"Do you want to race?" asked Shiku.

"Only so I can show you that I'm faster." responded OEG1. As they trained together, they began to become better 'friends'.

"OEG1, what do you think of me?" he asked as they stopped to drink water.

"I think you're a birdbrain." responded OEG1 with a smirk.

"Why are you always so mean?" asked Shiku. They both burst out laughing before OEG1 kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying.

—

 **Author's Note:** What did you guys think? Possible competition for Ayato? Don't forget to leave a review!


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Might be the last chapter in a few days. I hope I can publish another one tomorrow, though. Also, sorry for the continuous time skips.

—

 **Chapter 12:**

As time continued to pass by, OEG1 had dreams about her past. Many of these she couldn't make sense out of, but others were very clear. They had already begun to impact the way she thought about herself, her friends, and the world. She became more cheerful and thought before she acted in a violent manner (although she was still violent, she wouldn't kill anyone as easily).

OEG1 began to think as Lith again, and both personalities began to merge. She remembered her past feelings, including the ones towards V. Even though it was becoming apparent to everyone around her that she seemed to be changing, she didn't tell anyone that her memories were coming back. Even Shiku began to notice that she was acting differently towards him. She kept her distance and wouldn't hurt him as much as she used to.

—

Approximately 5 months had passed since she was recaptured by V. She had returned to the main base, and was stronger than ever. They had also become very busy due to the recent activity. Between Kanou, Eto, Centipede, Eye-patch, Aogiri-Tree, Anteiku and the CCG, this was one of the busiest years in a long time.

The human news were also filled with reports about the attacks, operations and missing ghouls, such as the Binge Eater, and the recently dangerous Centipede.

One of V's members, Janu, was currently reporting about the plan for the Anteiku raid. The boss seemed to think that this was the last opportunity to peacefully retain Eto. Some of the strongest ghouls were given orders to attend the raid and convince an ex-member to surrender his daughter and return to the organization.

Shiku was one of the members that had been ordered to stay on standby while other members were supposed to negotiate with the manager of Anteiku. OEG1 was ordered to observe the raid, but was told that if Aogiri Tree intercepted in the battle, she was to take down the members.

—

"Are you really going to just watch?" asked Shiku as OEG1 prepared her battle suit and mask for the raid.

"Of course. After all, they are orders." replied OEG1.

"Now, would you tell me what you are doing in a girl's room?" said OEG1 angrily as she pushed Shiku out of the room.

"Well I-" began Shiku as OEG1 slammed the door closed.

OEG1 prepared her mask (a new one she had created recently to match her sad one, only this one was happy), perfume (to mask her scent), a first aid, and other necessary things she might need.

—

OEG1 headed towards Anteiku and watched from above.

"Commence the operation." The CCG members headed towards their designated squads positions and OEG1 prepared to attack. Someone from the main base had hacked into the CCG's system and OEG1 managed to hear all the conversations the soldiers were having.

The moment she saw this, she prepared herself for the possible outcome of her death. From now on, she would be known and referred to as Lith, not as OEG1, who worked for V.

"Breaking in!" yelled one of the doves. They immediately began to fall limply as they were attacked by two ghouls. Lith silently jumped off the roof and landed on a windowsill. She began to hear a cry coming from inside, followed by some whispers.

Lith could also hear a television turned on reporting about the evacuation of the 20th ward. With thought that everyone had evacuated, but it seemed that there were still a few civilians.

She knocked on the window and peered inside. Three humans (a mother, a child and a baby) were huddled in a corner with frightened faces. It didn't seem as though they wanted to let her in, so Lith punched the window. It broke instantly and she swiftly jumped in.

"What happened?! Why didn't you evacuate?" Lith exclaimed. The humans didn't respond so Lith approached them.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to help you get out." said Lith as she began to ruffle the child's hair. She faced the mother who began to cry out of fear.

"N-no!" she screamed as she pulled her child back.

"Ma'am," said Lith in the most polite way she could. "you aren't safe here. What happens if a ghoul finds you?" Lith thought about what she said and found it very ironic that she, herself was a ghoul too.

Cornered, the woman tried to kick Lith, but she quickly dodged it. The mother found this as an opening and ran away. She tried to leave through the door, but decided that it was too dangerous as there was a fight going on outside.

"Look woman, I don't care what you think I am. If you don't come with me on your own, I'll force you." roared Lith. The little boy began to cry, apparently being started by the ghoul.

"No! Don't cry!" said Lith as she began to panic. The child, not understanding the situation clearly, ran towards Lith and began to cry on her leg.

Saddened, Lith began to sob as she picked up the little boy and hugged him. The mother was surprised at the situation that was unfolding right before her eyes. Weren't ghouls supposed to be cruel, heartless creatures?

"Well, I done waiting for your response." stated Lith as she wiped her tears away. Lith took out her rinkaku and let it wrap around the woman. "Hold on tight to your baby." said Lith before jumping out the window with the child in her hands. She began to race across the battlefield, using the rest of her kagune to shield the civilians.

Even though the ghouls and the CCG were fighting, everyone still managed to watch this strange sight. Some CCG members tried to hit Lith, but she protected herself with her kagune.

She jumped towards some buildings and landed gently on the truck which was holding the main base of operations. The doves immediately saw her and began to shoot. Lith became overwhelmed by their attacks and had to take out her kakuja.

"WILL YOU _MORONS_ STOP FOR A SECOND AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE CIVILIANS HERE!?" bellowed Lith loudly. The doves immediately stopped shooting, noticing the child she was carrying and the mother with the baby wrapped in her kagune.

"Eradicating the ghouls is top priority!" yelled one of the squad leaders. Most doves still didn't shoot, looking at the ones who were with troubling looks.

"Anyways…" began Lith casually, "not all the citizens have been evacuated yet. If you fools had checked better, you would have noticed that. If I find any others, I will bring them here. In return, you won't hurt me."

With that, Lith quickly placed the humans she was transporting on the concrete and jumped away, leaving a blur in her trail. As she passed wounded and dead soldiers and ghouls alike, she began to feel pity for them. Not because they had died on the battlefield, but because this was all a misunderstanding.

—

Lith quickly hid inside a sewer in an attempt to travel through the 20th ward without being noticed. She picked up two familiar scents. One was a half-ghoul she recognized as Kaneki but the other she couldn't remember. The scent belonged to a human.

She began to run in their direction and saw Kaneki in centipede-mode (yes, that's what I call it). Kaneki pounced into the air and began to eat Hide. Instead of panicking, Hide began to cry as he was being eaten alive. "Thank you for being my friend." he whispered, before passing out due to blood loss.

Without thinking, Lith pushed Centipede aside and grabbed Hide. "Don't you dare quit on me, you idiot of a human!" she screamed. As Centipede attempted to continue eating Hide, Lith curled up and hugged him, protecting him from the out-of-control ghoul.

Lith was about to leave when she remembered that Arima-san was ahead of them. If Kaneki was to survive, he needed to eat something and gain some strength.

Lith took out her Bikaku as a last resort to try to save Kaneki. She let him eat it until she began to feel weak. As Kaneki began to regain his sanity, Lith carried Hide outside.

Lith began to feel extremely hungry. Hide began to look really delicious to her. What was she thinking!? She needed to get him to a safe place before she killed Hide.

With the last of her strength, Lith ran towards the van.

—

Lith dragged herself to an empty building. Her nose suddenly began to go wild. She could smell so many corpses. As she dragged herself towards the closest fallen CCG member, she began to drool. She eagerly pulled off an arm and began to eat it.

"OEG1. Or should I say Lith." said a voice.

Shiku approached Lith. "Honestly, I love you." confessed Shiku as he raised Lith's head.

"I'm eating!" roared Lith as she slapped his hand away. "I love someone else. So leave me alone, bully."

"Bully, you say? I guess you do remember me." stated Shiku as he lifted her by the neck and slammed her against the wall.

—

 **(Flashback)**

"Most powerful ghoul, eh?" said a ten year old Shiku as he punched Lith with such a force that she went flying towards the wall.

"Please, leave me alone. I just wanted to be your friend" begged Lith as her wounds began to heal.

"Do you really think I would become your friend? What kind of world have you been living in!?" exclaimed Shiku as he began to punch Lith in the face.

"I don't want to hurt you." mumbled Lith.

"You really are an idiot!" yelled Shiku as he kicked Lith in the ribs.

"STOP!" screamed Lith. Her kagune appeared and went out of control. It began to stab Shiku in the lungs, left leg, and right eye.

—

"That doesn't stop the fact that I like you." he said in a creepy voice. Left without any strength, Lith was unable to resist his attacks. Suddenly, he kissed her.

"You bastard!" roared a ghoul as his kagune pierced through Shiku. Shiku collapsed and fell limply to the floor.

—

 **Author's Note:** Sorry (not sorry) for the cliffhanger. I'm guessing people will already know who the ghoul who saved Lith is, but I won't mention it just in case. Also, shoutout to my friend Kia :D Hi there! I'm not used to writing such dark things, so it might end up sloppy. I'm also not very good with romantic things either, since I find them very cheesy. I also don't usually use foul language (what would my parents say!?), so it might be a bit weird for me to place it. Lith might use it occasionally, but I know Ayato uses it a lot. Anyways, don't forget to review and follow to be alerted when there's an update.


	14. Chapter 12-5

"A-ayato…" mumbled Lith before she lost consciousness. As Lith fell to the ground, Ayato caught her.

"Don't you dare leave me, dumbass." said Ayato as he gently placed her on the ground. He pulled off the leg of a dove and began to shove it into Lith's mouth.

After a while, Lith began to regain consciousness. She quickly sat up without noticing that Ayato was looking down at her. Unfortunately, Lith's head bumped into Ayato's chin.

"Ouch!" said Lith as she began to rub her head. "Ayato?"

"Are you that stupid?" mumbled Ayato as he got up.

"It really is you!" squealed Lith as she knocked him to the ground. She wrapped him into a tight hug and began to cry. "You moron…"

Quickly noticing what they were doing, Lith punched Ayato in the face. She got up and began to examine the situation. "What happened to the others? Is Shiku alright?" As Lith mentioned Shiku, she remembered briefly what had happened before she lost consciousness.

"The truth is I-" began to say Ayato as he turned bright red.

"What an idiot!" screamed Lith in anger before storming out.

"Fuck my luck." mumbled Ayato before he left the building and followed Lith.

—

"N-no…" mumbled Lith as she saw what was left in the aftermath of the raid. Buildings were destroyed, human and ghoul corpses were littered everywhere, blood stained the ground and a dark sky that loomed above.

As Lith dropped to her knees, she began to sob uncontrollably. "Why couldn't I do anything?! I'm just as weak as I was before!" she screamed. Her cries attracted a lot of attention.

"It's a ghoul! There's still a ghoul left!" yelled a dove.

"Prepare to initiate battle!" yelled the commander of the doves.

"But she was the one that-" began to say an investigator.

"Ghoul Countermeasures Law Article 119: Harboring or preventing the arrest of a ghoul is a crime punishable by death." roared the commander moments before he raised his arm and gave the signal to attack.

"I don't care about your silly laws…" mumbled Lith. "I don't care about who you are or your strength…"

"We all make mistakes! But some… **ARE JUST UNFORGIVABLE!** " screamed Lith. Moments before the attacks could touch her, she disappeared from sight.

"Where did she go?" asked one of the investigators.

"FIND HER!" roared the commander as he began to give the remaining squads orders.

—

Lith began to run as far away from the 20th ward as possible. Although she could still hear the yells from the investigators, she continued without stopping. When she was in the 17th ward, she decided to stop.

With her face full of exhaustion, she sat down in an alley to rest.

"God, you run a lot…" said Ayato as he plopped down beside Lith.

"Why are you still following me?" asked Lith with a surprised look in her eyes.

"Why wouldn't I? We're friends, aren't we?" replied Ayato sincerely.

Lith's eyes widened at his response. Didn't he just think of her as an annoying brat who just happened to be stronger than him (though he obviously admit it)? Once again, Lith's pink face began to tear up.

"Are you serious?" asked Lith as she faced him.

"I am, but if you make a big fuss about it, I might regret it." he silently replied. Lith began to hug him tightly, not caring about the fact that it had begun to rain.

"I'm so happy I could kiss you!" squealed Lith as she got up.

"What?" said Ayato with a stunned look.

"Just metaphorically, you know?" replied Lith, nervously laughing.

"Right…" mumbled Ayato with a slightly depressed tone as he stood up.

"Hey, you didn't really believe that, right?" quickly said Lith as she noticed his change in mood.

"Of course not. You're my friend." replied Ayato with a slight smile (#friendzoned).

"Great! Then, I'll go find a hotel I can stay in." said Lith with a relieved look as she quickly pecked him on the cheek.

As Lith walked away, Ayato just stared into the distance with a goofy look in his eyes and a bright red face.

 **=o=**

 **Author's Note:** I sorry about that last part, I just couldn't help it! Since this is a short chapter, it won't be counted as chapter 13 yet. Sorry for the inconvenience, I have a lot of things I'm working on right now and I ran out of ideas for this fanfic, so I might not post for a while (don't know how long).


	15. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the cheesiness in part of the chapter. I know Ayato seems a bit out of character (by that I mean A LOT), but I figured he needed to have some soft spot.

 **=o=**

 **Chapter 13:**

"Right this way, little girl." said one of the hotel employee's workers. Immediately, Lith's face went from exhaust to absolute anger.

"I'M NOT A LITTLE GIRL!" screamed Lith, a little too loudly, as people began to stare at her.

"Sorry…" mumbled Lith as her face turned slight shade of red.

When they arrived on the seventh floor, the employee handed Lith her key and left. As she walked in, she noticed that it would've been better if she had stayed in the alley-way.

The bed was untidy, the window was broken, the carpet was full of dirt and the walls were full of stains.

"What the hell is this!?" screamed Lith as she stormed down seven flights of stairs to complain.

 **=o=**

"Geez, I really need to find a job." mumbled Lith as she dragged herself out of the empty alley. She didn't have enough money to afford a decent room so she was kicked out and found that the alley was her only option.

"Sleep well?" asked Ayato as he jumped down into her view of vision. Lith jumped back in surprise. She had caught his scent only a few seconds ago, after all.

"Ne, what do you think of me getting a job?" asked Lith as they began to walk together.

"A job? Are you telling me you don't like to sleep in alleys?" replied Ayato in a sarcastic voice.

"Are you really Ayato? You seem really charming to how I remember you." said Lith. She turned bright red when she noticed that she had called him 'charming' and began to walk at a faster pace.

"Eh, so I'm charming, huh?" he said as he began to walk faster in order to keep up with Lith. Ayato's face had a smirk plastered all over it, making Lith become annoyed.

"You know what, I take that back. You're clearly the annoying person I know." said Lith with a triumphant look on her face.

"Are you serious? Just when I thought things were going my way." he teased. Suspicious, Lith began to pull of Ayato's cheeks.

"It doesn't seem to be a mask…" mumbled Lith in thought as she slowed down.

"I have to go. See you again later." said Ayato, breaking the silence.

"I'm not sure if we can though…" said Lith as she gave a saddened expression.

"Why is that?" asked Ayato in worry as he began to examine the expression on Lith's face.

"I don't think I can stay in one place for too long. I ran away V (again)." At this statement, they both stopped walking. It took a few moments for Ayato to process what this could mean. They were in the middle of an empty street, with only a few people passing by every few minutes.

"I'll probably be jumping from ward to ward, so you might not find me as often." Abate grabbed Lith by her arms. Surprising her, she gave a puzzling look and began to turn red. Like a chain reaction, Ayato coincidentally became red as they continued to stare at each other.

"I'll protect you! I won't let you get hurt. You can stay in Aogiri!" suggested Ayato desperately.

"I can't involve anyone else in this…you're a really important friend of mine (also my only one)." said Lith with a shaky voice. Her eyes began to shine brightly, as though she could start crying at any moment.

"Please…I promise I'll change! I'll get stronger and protect you!"

"Why are you doing this!" mumbled Lith as tears began to stream down her face. Upset about what he had caused her to do, Ayato pulled Lith into a hug.

"Don't cry." he said as his own eyes began to tear up.

"You know, this is getting cheesy…" laughed Lith as she began to sniffle a bit. "Anyways, how long are you going to hug me?"

Ayato immediately let her go, surprised at his actions. He wasn't like this, was he? What was going on? Why was he acting like this?

"Umm, are you ok?" asked Lith nervously as she watched Ayato's expression change quickly. He looked quite hilarious.

Lith began to burst out laughing. Ayato returned to reality when he noticed what he was doing.

"You know what? I'll be fine. I might be small, but I'm still pretty tough!" exclaimed Lith in a more cheerful manner to brighten up the mood. She gently punched Ayato in the arm and sped away, leaving a cloud of dust.

 **=o=**

"Shit, what happened back there?" mumbled Lith as she began to pet a stray cat that was sitting on a large trash bin in the alley. Lith began to walk towards a hidden door in the 4th ward. She knocked on the door with a small sign that read: Employees needed. The door creaked open so Lith walked in.

"Anyone here? I'm looking for a job!" said Lith as she began to wander around the shop, looking at the creepy masks.

"Boo."

" **WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH** \- is what you want me to say, but I knew you were there." stated Lith as she looked at the odd looking person.

"Oh, you're a surprisingly un-surprised." stated the tattooed man as he sat up on his bench and began to examine Lith closely. "What's someone like you doing here?"

"Well," began Lith with a slightly annoyed tone ."I need some money. So I'm looking for a job."

"But I need someone older than you. Not a kid." declared Uta.

"Geez, I'm not scared of ghouls, so I'm perfect!" announced Lith.

"Are you one yourself? No. So you back to your parents."

That last part stung Lith a little, but she decided to shrug it off. She wasn't going to let a creepy ghoul like him brush her off as a child!

"No! I'm not leaving until I get a job!" said Lith with a triumphant smile.

"You really act like a kid." sighed Uta as he got up and began to show Lith the basics.

 **=o=**

A few weeks later, Lith walked out of the shop. "Yosh! I finally got paid for all my hard work!" exclaimed Lith in the middle of the street, cheering.

Many people pretended not to see her, while others watched her suspiciously. As Lith noticed the attention she was attracting, she quickly lowered her head in embarrassment and headed to her residence.

Lith stretched herself before plopping herself in front of the television. Her new couch was surprisingly comfortable, noted Lith as she began to watch the news.

"The notorious ghoul, Black Rabbit was recently spotted downtown last night. As advised, stay in your homes and when going outside, don't go alone."

"Thank you for the report, and now for the news."

"You bet! Recently, there has been a gang targeting large banks and jewelry shops. They are ar-" Lith switched off the television and walked to towards a bookshelf. She had recently been studying ghouls, trying to find as much information about their anatomy as possible.

Lith began scanning the covers and decided to go for a book named "Inside A Ghoul: the scary truth". Frowning, she looked in disgust at the title but looked at the index.

There was a sudden knock on Lith's door.

"Open up, it's time to pay rent." said a woman's voice.

"Coming!" hollered Lith as she placed the book back on the shelf and headed to the door.

"Where's the pay! It's a week due!" yelled a tall, foreign woman.

"Sorry Ms. Karlin, I don't have enough." croaked Lith as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"You better have it in two weeks, or you're out of here!" said the blond-haired landlady.

"Right!" responded Lith quickly before slamming the door it the landlady's face. I probably shouldn't have done that…thought Lith as she leaned on the window, thinking about what she would do to earn extra money. Working with Uta was great (most of the time), but it wasn't enough to pay for all her expenses.

—

"I can't find any jobs!" said Lith to a pigeon. "You don't think I'm crazy, do you?" The bird's head leaned to the left before he flew away, leaving Lith alone.

Geez, I'm even talking to a pigeon, thought Lith as she sighed. She could use some advice right now, especially from a friend.

"Hey! Give that back!" said a black-haired girl. She seemed to be a year younger than Lith, but was a bit taller than her (poor Lith, she's a bit short, just like Ayato). The girl was chasing a much taller girl who appeared to have something in her hand.

Lith looked into the distance, trying to drown out their voices.

"That's mine!"

"Well then grab it!"

"Please! You're going to break it!"

"Do something about it!"

"ENOUGH!" yelled Lith as she jumped up and grabbed a pen from the tall girl's hand. "Are you kidding me? This was all you were complaining about!?"

"Uh, yeah. But thank you!" said the black-haired girl as she stuck out her hand. "My name's Karissa!"

"No problem, but please be more quiet." said Lith as she walked away.

"Hey! That was disrespect! Come back here!" screamed Karissa as she followed Lith.

"You know, I'm in a terrible mood right now, so leave me alone."

"Grumpy, much?" mumbled Karissa. Lith was ready to explode when there was a loud crash. Distracting Lith from her anger, she immediately went to the cause of the sound. Glass, cement and a few other things littered the ground in front of a jewelry shop.

People began to crowd in order to see what had caused the commotion. Suddenly, an alarm began to sound loudly. Lith decided that she was going to ignore it. The police would probably arrive any second now.

Lith was about to walk away when something caught her attention. "They've got guns!" squeaked Karissa.

"What?" said Lith in surprise. She thought they were just amateurs. It seemed as though she was wrong. "You know what, stay back and be careful. They might be real."

When she received no response, Lith turned around to see that Karissa was gone.

 **=o=**

 **Author's Note:** I tried to improve my writing a bit, hopefully it can make the story a bit better (but it's still a work in progress, but bear with me). Don't forget to review!


	16. Chapter 14 (edited-fixed)

**Author's Note:** I think a large part of this chapter is a bit out of character, but enjoy.

 **Extra Note (after I fixed the chapter):** I was reading through this chapter and I found a few mistakes (all of them were names changed by autocorrect) but they should be fixed now. Also, I'm thinking of taking a break so I probably won't publish for a few days (unless some sudden inspiration appears out of no where and *POOF* an new idea is born). I also found out how to add in the lines to separate ideas/parts of the chapter so I'll probably start using it in the next chapter (if I remember).

 **=o=**

 **Chapter 14:**

Lith anxiously looked around the crowd, trying to find her friend. She shouldn't have been so rude to her.

"Leave them alone!" yelled someone. That voice sounded familiar, but Lith couldn't remember. As Lith turned to see who it was, she saw a person with a mask in front of the thieves.

"Karissa?" mumbled Lith as she recognized her scent.

Lith lost herself in the crowd as she began to hear gunshots. People began to scatter, attempting to get away from the commotion. Lith decided to use this opportunity and took out her mask.

Lith immediately jumped upwards, trying to get a clear view of everything. Although not many people noticed, some saw Lith jumping several meters high.

"IT'S A GHOUL!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what I am." said Lith before appearing behind one of the robbers. She quickly grabbed his gun and smashed it.

Surprised, the robbers began to shoot at Lith. Just then, the police arrived. The officers stormed in, unaware of the circumstances they were getting in. Noticing the officers, the thieves began to shoot at them instead.

"Shit." said Lith as her Rinkaku kagune appeared and blocked the gunshots. Soon enough, the robbers ran out of bullets. Lith used her Rinkaku to grab the ignored ghoul (Karissa) and jumped towards a nearby building.

=o=

"Are you crazy!?" scolded Lith as she began to pace back and forth in front of Karissa.

"I'm sorry. But what if a civilian had gotten hurt?" apologized Karissa as she stood in Lith's apartment.

"You're a civilian!" said Lith as she threw her hands into the air in frustration.

"Well, they couldn't hurt me with a bullet." argued Karissa as she sat down on the couch.

"What if the CCG was called in!?"

"Good point." admitted Karissa. Lith sighed as she sat down beside Karissa.

"I would have done the same, but the truth is," began Lith. "I'm much stronger than you."

Karissa burst out in laughter. "I know I'm not too strong, but you're puny!"

"I'M NOT SMALL!" yelled Lith.

"Ok, ok, jokes aside, what's your name?" asked Karissa. Lith's expression immediately changed.

"I didn't tell you?"

"Nope"

"Well, that's great." said Lith sarcastically. "My name is Lith."

=o=

A while after their introductions, Lith and Karissa began to talk about themselves.

"Lith? Do you have someone you like?" asked Karissa with curiosity.

"Of course not!" exclaimed Lith nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Riiiiight…so, why do you like him?"

"Like I said, I don't like anyone. What about you?" asked Lith with a smirk.

"Not really. Can we stop talking about this?" asked Karissa awkwardly.

"Do you want some coffee?" asked Lith as she stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

"Sure!" responded Karissa as she followed Lith to the kitchen. Karissa began to look for some cups while Lith took out a glass container with coffee beans. When they finished brewing the coffee, Karissa walked back to the couch.

"Lith, aren't you coming?" she asked as she began to drink the hot coffee. It tasted a little sour, but decided it would be rude to comment on that.

"I'll be right there. Just let me find some food." said Lith casually as her head popped into view.

Karissa almost choked on her drink. Food? She stored some in her house? Was she one of those most wanted ghouls by the CCG? She really did look strong.

Lith walked back into the living room with her cup of coffee and a jar of cookies.

"Why did you bring cookies? We don't have to practice right now." said Karissa with a confused look but a slight tone of relief in her voice.

"I'm hungry." stated Lith betweens bites. Karissa cringed at the sight of Lith, but decided to keep quiet.

 **=o=**

"Ayato~" said Eto as he approached her. The sun appeared to be setting by then, but it was the perfect time for hungry ghouls to lurk in the shadows.

"Did you need something from me?" asked Ayato with slight annoyance in his voice.

"How are you doing with Lith?" she asked in amusement as Ayato's ears went slightly red. "Have you found anything out about V?"

"No." he lied. Angered, Eto slapped him. Ayato went flying and crashed against a wall.

"Well then, make sure you do. Or next time, you're off the hook!" giggled Eto.

As Ayato walked out the door and in the direction of the city, Eto began to talk to herself.

"My, my, they are absolutely entertaining!"

 **=o=**

Ayato began to stroll around the city, trying to catch Lith's scent. Unfortunately, he had been unsuccessful for the past few weeks.

Even though it was past sunset, the streets were brightly illuminated. Cars, buses, trucks and people crowded the streets. Many voices spoke at once, and many people passed by. Yet momentarily, Ayato could distinguish Lith's.

He began to push through small crowds, trying to catch up with her. He could only slightly smell it, so he had to be really careful not to lose it.

"Lith!" yelled Ayato as he finally caught up to her. He jumped up and hugged her. Or, at least tried to. With had extended her arm seconds before and punched him, causing him to fall.

"Don't approach me like that when there are strangers around." stated Lith coldly as she hinted at Karissa, who looked surprised.

"Are you alright?" asked Karissa with an anxious look on her face. She knelt down to face Ayato.

"Yes, I'm fine." said Ayato with a sarcastic tone in his voice as he stood up and faced Lith.

"Are you stupid!?" said Ayato as he began to argue with Lith.

"No, but I can tell YOU are!"

"Look who's talking!"

"You're the one who acted like a crazy person in front of Karissa!"

"Me? What about you!?"

"Couldn't you act more decently?"

"Tch. I'm having second thoughts about you!"

"Like I care! Wait, what…?"

"Nothing! You're just an idiot."

"You wanna go, little boy?"

"You're shorter than me!"

"Like I care!"

"Awwww! Just like a couple!" giggled Karissa.

"WHAT!?" they both yelled.

"Nothing, nothing at all." said Karissa cheerfully as she covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing at them.

"Anyways, this is my friend Karissa." said Lith as she presented her friend to Ayato. "Karissa, this is Ayato, that moron I told you about."

"Hello, I'm the moron." said Ayato in a sarcastic voice.

"Mocking my friend, are we?" said Lith, raising an eyebrow at Ayato, who laughed nervously. "What's with the change in attitude?"

"Just trying to be nice for your friend over there." said Ayato.

"Yeah, right." replied Lith as she gave Ayato a cold look. All three burst out laughing.

 **=o=**

"So, why are you here? Did Eto send you?" asked Lith as the group crossed the street.

"No. I just wanted to make sure you were safe." replied Ayato. Lith grumbled. Karissa giggled.

They continued to chat as they walked down the sidewalk until they reached Karissa's house.

"Thanks for dropping me off." said Karissa before knocking three times on the door.

"No problem! Hey, do you want to meet up at the park tomorrow?" asked Lith.

"Sure. How about around eleven?" said Karissa.

"Ok- YOKA!?" screamed Lith in surprise as she jumped back.

"My luck is terrible…" sighed Ayato.

"Lith!? What are you doing here? Why did you leave? You left the entire rent up to me! I had to throw your things out!" ranted Yoka in frustration.

"You know each other?" question Karissa.

"This has nothing to do with you!" yelled Lith and Yoka at the same time. Karissa swore she could see sparks flying around between the two ex-classmates. Ayato decided to use this opportunity to escape.

"Well, I'll be going now…" mumbled Ayato anxiously before slowly walking away.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" said Lith with clenched teeth as she grabbed Ayato by the ear and pulled him besides her.

"Ayato! I didn't see you there!" squealed Yoka.

"Lith, let go of me."

"No way."

"Then I'll do it by force!" said Ayato desperately as he kicked Lith. "Sorry!" he yelled as he ran away.

" **YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!** " yelled Lith as she chased after him angrily.

"Well, I don't think they'll be back…" Karissa laughed nervously as she dragged her sister (who seemed to be enjoying the show) inside.

=o=

 **Author's Note:** You gotta love them fighting. XD


	17. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** I know I took a while to publish it but tests are coming up (again) and I have a few projects. I'm also thinking about the general plot and what could happen from here. On another note, I've noticed that I have quite a few problems when it comes to autocorrect. The most common are the following:

Ayato changes to Abate

Lith changes to With

Karissa changes to Kris

I do sometimes check for any mistakes, but some go unnoticed by me. I'm not sure why it does this, but I hope I can find and correct them before they are published.

* * *

 **Chapter 15:**

"Come on! It was only a kick!" complained Ayato as he continued to run down the street.

'That doesn't matter! What matters is that you tried to escape and leave me with her!" yelled Lith, catching up to Ayato.

"Please! She's a monster (just like you)!" responded Ayato, but mumbled the last part.

"You idiot! I can hear you, you know!" screamed Lith as she tackled him.

"I'm sorry! I really am! I was just kidding!" cried Ayato as he attempted to roll away. Unfortunately, Lith sat on him.

"Not good enough!" responded Lith as she began to pull tightly on his cheeks. Ayato began to complain loudly and a few seconds later Lith let go. His cheeks had turned bright red from her pinching.

As Lith got up, she mumbled an insulting sentence. "If I went any further, it would count as animal abuse." Ayato got up and began to rub his sore cheeks. "What are you, a lost puppy? Go home!" growled Lith before she walked away. Ayato decided that he needed to return to the base, so he sped off.

* * *

"What do you want?" roared Ayato as he faced a small group composed of ghouls from Aogiri Tree. The ghouls were in a fit of laughter, rolling on the floor.

"That was priceless! Lost puppy!" squealed one of them. Had they seen his encounter with Lith? Just how much had they witnessed?

"Are you really Ayato Kirishima!?" teased another ghoul. Ayato was extremely mad at Eto for sending subordinates to watch him. Not only had they teased and disrespected a superior, but they weren't afraid of him anymore. He needed to put them back in their place, Ayato decided.

"Tch! Pieces of trash. Do you really think I can let runts like you disrespect me?" he growled as he kicked the laughing ghouls. They went flying, crashing against a tall, nearby tree. Ayato decided to walk away, leaving them to think about their actions.

But the question remained, why was he acting that way? Ayato began to get lost in his thoughts, wondering if it was like an alter-ego of some sorts or if he was just bipolar. Then a thought came mind: what if it was what they called 'love'? That sounded absolutely disgusting to Ayato. After all, he felt like it might even go as far as to dishonour him for falling in 'love' with a ghoul! Not even a ghoul, a half ghoul. A mutt, born to take orders from those above. Nothing more, nothing less.

"So, did you manage to fall for her?" asked Eto. Abate was slightly startled, but decide he could manage not to show it.

"What do you mean?" questioned Ayato.

"Oh, I don't know. You tell me!" teased Eto in her bandages. Ayato grumbled at her response. Fighting with her was never the answer, especially when she was stronger in every aspect, and had saved him countless times.

"I don't care about her. I'm only there because you told me to investigate. After all, she's just a small cog in a giant machine." replied Ayato coldly. He didn't want Lith to get more involved, especially when it came to Eto.

"Just remember to keep your priorities straight! I don't respond lightly to traitors." chirped Eto eerily before walking away.

Just what were his priorities? What were his goals? Did he even want to be in Aogiri? As Ayato pondered about this, he began to question his own motives. What was he supposed to do with his life? What did Lith honestly mean to him?

* * *

"Ne, Karissa, do you like Yoka?" asked Lith as the two friends began to stroll down a path in the empty park.

"Of course! She's my cousin, after all!" replied Karissa honestly.

"She's not your sister?" asked Lith.

"Definately not. Oi, have you ever read western comic books?" asked Karissa as she tried to change the conversation into something more interesting.

"No, I haven't. They don't have many here, so it's really hard to find them in Tokyo. Do you happen to come from another country?" questioned Lith, focusing on her physical traits. She appeared to have a typical Asian look, with small eyes.

"I come from a country in the west. Spanish is actually my first language."

"So you're foreign…" concluded Lith with a surprised expression on her face.

"Pretty much…" said Karissa as they sat under a large tree. "Do you want me to take you to a comic book shop later?"

"Sure!" replied Lith excitedly.

"So how did it go with you two?" questioned Karissa. Although it was around noon, there weren't many people passing by. Occasionally there would be the odd couple or a few children.

"What? Ayato?" asked Lith carefully. Kris seemed really suspicious when she talked about the two of them. Abate had also been putting up a charismatic act, appearing to seem like a sweet person. But Lith knew better! He was a cruel, selfish bastard and completely untrustworthy. Or, at least that's what she thought before the 'incident (what she's referring to is a few chapters ago when they had a "romantic" moment, although it was mostly a temporary farewell) with Ayato. Could it be that it was all a coverup and he actually cared about people?

"Lith? Are you alright?" asked Karissa, bringing Lith back to reality. With seemed a bit surprised about the fact that she had spaced out. Was she really thinking so much on trivial matters?

* * *

"Sugoi!" squealed Lith as she ran from comic book stand to comic books stand. Kris had invited Lith to go to a small comic book shop downtown. Although it didn't have many customers, they had a wide variety of stock, varying from comics to movies and 'collectable figurines'.

"Lith, do you want any? I could buy you a few comics if you want." said Karissa, giggling at the sight of Lith practically drooling in awe.

"Could you?" asked Lith. To Karissa, she seemed like a little girl in a candy shop. But why wouldn't she? After all, it was natural to enjoy the idea of being protected at all costs by a superhero.

While they walked to Lith's apartment, Lith read a translated version of Wonder Woman. Kris appeared to be amused by the way Lith obsessed over the superhero and her good deeds. Kris stopped at a green light, waiting to be given the signal to cross the road. She was checking her cellphone when she suddenly heard a car honk nearby.

"Watch where you're going!" yelled a man as he stuck his head out the window to complain. Lith nodded, not even looking up. Although her senses were quite enhanced compared to the average human (or ghoul), she didn't bother to pay attention to her surroundings and unfortunately failed to hear the speeding motorcycle. It crashed into Lith with such a great force that it knocked Lith down and sent the unprotected driver flying. Surprised at the sudden change, she got up, right on time to see the person in mid-air.

Lith instantly realized her mistake. If she hadn't been so careless, the driver most likely wouldn't have gotten hurt. She put on her new mask and ran as fast as she could. To Lith, it felt as though the entire world was moving in slow motion.

Why was it that whenever she was actually having fun or enjoying herself, something had to go wrong and ruin the moment? Although she was focused on catching the motorcycle's driver, many drivers began to dial the emergency number.

Instants before the unfortunate human crashed to the hard cement that covered the roads, Lith miraculously caught him. Although he didn't sustain grave injuries, the impact of falling into her arms was a bit painful and possibly even disorienting.

There was a burst of applause as soon as people began to realize what had happened. Although Lith enjoyed the feeling of being appreciated, she didn't deserve it. This time, it made her feel even worse. She had created a tragedy by not paying attention to where she was going!

"Are you alright?" Lith asked the person in her arms. She seemed pretty young. Possibly even young enough to not have a licence. Could he be a problem child? Possibly.

"It's all your fault! You'll be paying for the motorcycle's damage!" she began to babble, seemingly forgetting the situation that was unfolding.

"Look, I understand that it was partially my fault, but you are also at fault too." said Lith, attempting to hide her frustration. When the paramedics arrived alongside police cars, Lith decided it was about time to go. After all, no one had gotten hurt (or at least not severely).

"Ma'am, please remove your mask and give us an identification." said one of the police officers as she got up.

"I don't see the need for it." said Lith before quickly disappearing in the crowd that had begun to form.

* * *

"You need to pay more attention to where you're going." Karissa explained angrily as she began to pace back and forth in front of Lith, just like when they had just met.

"I'm feeling a bit of a deja vu, what 'bout you?" said Lith innocently.

"Stop trying to change the topic! Someone could've died and it would've been all your fault."

"I know I'm at fault, but what about that kid! She was speeding and probably wasn't even allowed to drive that!" said Lith, trying to defend herself.

"And what about putting on your mask! That's dangerous! What if the CCG recognized you as a ghoul?" said Karissa as her expression changed from anger to anxiousness in an instant. What if they sent investigators after them?

"Worse things have happened, trust me." said Lith almost sarcastically. It was actually true, after all, she had been captured by V (and brainwashed), joined Aogiri, AND she actually befriended Ayato (and possibly even more). She'd been experimented on (until recently) and treated like an object. A few investigators would never be enough to rival what Lith had been through.

"This has turned into a really exaggerated talk. Do you want some coffee?" said Lith as she tried to change the dark ambience.

* * *

"Welcome to the HySy ArtMask Studio! How can I help you?" exclaimed Lith as she heard the door open. Uta was out for a little while, so Lith was (somehow) put in charge of the shop. As the customers walked in, Lith turned to face them. Two teenagers began to look around the shop, looking at all the odd masks placed on displays and hanging on the walls.

"I need a new mask." said one of the girls. She plopped a piece of bubblegum into her mouth and began to chew loudly. This was one of Lith's pet peeves. Why did people have to make so much noise? Couldn't they keep it to themselves? Of course, she left these thoughts in her head. She couldn't be driving customers away before she had managed to sell something.

"Alright, please sit down on that stool," began Lith as she pointed towards a tall, red stool in the center of the room. "I need to take some measurements and get some information.."

"Sure, but I already know what I want. I was thinking of getting a fierce looking mask…something intimidating," said the girl in a boastful manner. "after all, it needs to match my strength."

"Right…" said Lith, careful not to roll her eyes. As she pulled out a measuring tape and began to record lengths and sizes, Lith tried to imagine what mask design she might like. "Do you have any preference? Or an alias you have or want?"

"Well," she said in an overconfident voice. "I want something original. But it's your job to think of something. After all, that's what I'm paying you to do."

* * *

"Uta!" said Lith as she welcomed the workshop's owner. She wasn't too fond of his habits (his favourite treats, being a member of the Clowns, etc…), but she always found his personality was hilarious. "We got an order while you were gone! I'll give you the details so you can create a mask for-"

"This time, it's your turn to try and make a mask for a customer. I can't have you lazying around while I'm doing all the hard work." he said in a flat tone, interrupting Lith. He placed a black shopping bag on the counter and took a jar full of eyeballs. Lith cringed at the thought of what someone would have to do to obtain so many human eyes.

"Alright!" chirped Lith, attempting to hide her disgust from sight. She headed towards a large counter and began to look for a paper and a pencil. After all, she needed to think of a design before starting to make anything.

What type of mask could she make? Lith began to think of animals. Ape? Tiger? Lion? Cat? Panda? Wolf? Dog? Probably none of those, she had either already seen someone with a mask like that or it didn't really match with the personality of the ghoul. What about something that matches her as a person? Could she be a joker? Of course, there was all the symbolism that came with it, but Lith preferred to think of her as a joke. She was too full of herself, almost giving the impression that she was better than anyone else. People with that mentality made her sick. Why couldn't they think of others instead of focusing on themselves?

After finishing her sketch, she decided that drawing was not her calling. It looked super sloppy, like a three year old had done it. Not a 'professional'. "Ne, Uta, could you help me? I have an idea but I'm not a very good drawer." she said, looking down at her drawing, wishing she was a better artist.

"You just need to practice." Uta said as he licked his slimy fingers. He walked towards Lith to see the drawing she had made. To him, it looked so-so. He could tell what her idea was, but she would be using this as a base and he couldn't have the mask looking a bit deformed. "I'll touch it up a little."

Lith's face went red with embarrassment. Why did she have to be bad at her job? This was what she was being paid to do. Her face changed into a saddened expression as she watched Uta fix her drawing. He had kept the general idea, but was trying to make it more symmetrical and professional looking. Lith admitted that he was pretty good at his job.

"Don't get frustrated, this was only your first one. Keep trying and you'll get it. Someday…" he 'encouraged' as he placed the pencil on the table and went to look for the necessary materials to bring the drawing to life.

"Want one?" Uta asked as he lifted his favourite treat from a jar.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Not sure when I can publish the next chapter, but hopefully it'll be soon. Hope you enjoyed the story! I tried to add in more detail (not sure if it made it better or worse) and improve my writing. Don't forget to review!


	18. Chapter 16

"So, how's Aogiri coming along?" asked Lith teasingly as she stretched her arms.

"Tch. Perfectly fine." stated Ayato dryly as he remembered Eto's warning and his encounter with the 'spies'. It was best to keep Lith at a distance from anyone associated with Aogiri. She was a little too easy to manipulate, he thought, recalling all the past times she was forced into something.

"You're awfully quiet tonight." mumbled Lith, feeling bored with the unwanted silence. Noticing he was lost in thought, she decided to call it a night. She needed to wake up the next day early, and she definitely did not want to have bags under her eyes.

Just as she was about to get up and leave, she noticed that they were being watched. "Ne, Ayato, is someone keeping tabs on you?" asked Lith cautiously, not wanting to get the attention from the hidden figure.

"Probably someone from Aogiri. I'll go deal with them." he said quietly, heading towards the suspicious shadow. As he casually walked towards the ghoul, Lith held her breath. She wasn't sure why, but she had a really bad feeling about this. Lith unconsciously began to follow Ayato silently.

"AYATO-KUN!" squealed a loud voice. Ayato's mouth momentarily gaped opened. He quickly switched to a seemingly unfazed expression. Who was that ghoul? What was she doing, spying on them? Why did she seem and smell so familiar…

"Yoka." simply said Ayato as he eyed her suspiciously.

Wait…Yoka? As in Karissa's sister? As in the ex-classmate/ex-roommate Yoka? What was she doing here? Why was it that when they encountered her, Ayato seemed slightly annoyed (and at times freaked out)? Why was she always so excited to see him?

"Did you miss me?" she ask in a childish tone. Well, this was annoyingly disgusting. Why was she with Ayato? She suddenly turned her head in Lith's direction and smirked.

Immediately, Lith felt a ping of jealousy. Why was she jealous? Don't ask her, as she had no idea. Yoka suddenly got a little too close to Ayato for Lith's liking. Noticing Ayato feeling quite uncomfortable, Lith decided to approach them.

"Hey Yoka!" Lith said in a (fake) cheerful voice. Ayato's face immediately showed a relieved expression. As he was about to pull Yoka away from him, she suddenly whispered something in his ear before walking away. Ayato looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Are you all right?" asked Lith worriedly, completely forgetting her previous emotions.

"Go away." said Ayato coldly.

"What?" asked Lith, surprised at his sudden mood swing.

"I said, go away!" he growled. Why was he acting like this? What had Yoka just whispered to him? What was going through his mind?

Lith, looking a bit saddened, turned away. Clearly, her presence wasn't wanted, thought Lith angrily, before storming off into the darkness.

* * *

"And then, he just told me to go away!" screamed Lith in frustration before she quickly slurped down her strawberry smoothy. They were sitting at a peaceful outdoor cafe downtown.

"Well, that sucks." said Karissa bluntly.

"That sucks!? Don't you have any advice!?" yelled Lith as she banged her fists on the table. A lot of stares followed, and Lith was given a warning by one of the waiters.

"Aw shucks, I can't do anything right!" whimpered Lith as she slumped down on her seat and buried her head under her arms.

"Well, I don't really know what to say. You should probably just talk to him."

"He's not the talkative type! These past few weeks he's been acting strangely, but he's usually not like that." responded Lith as she waved to a waiter and payed for her smoothy.

As they walked out, they maintained their silence, trying to think of something to say. Without noticing, they automatically walked towards Karissa's house. Maybe Lith could ask what happened the night before? Ha, as if.

As Karissa opened the door, Lith tried to get the negative thoughts out of her head. They walked through the silent house and headed towards the staircase. So far, it didn't seem as though Yoka was around. They walked towards Karissa's bedroom before closing the large door.

"Lith, I'm actually kind of worried. Yoka's been acting 'differently'." said Karissa silently, as if she didn't want anyone else to hear her. She sat cross legged on her bed and looked at Lith urgently.

"Well, I'm not sure. I did find it weird to see her though." replied Lith as she followed Karissa and sat on the corner of the bed.

"Do you think they might be dating?" asked Karissa.

"Who? Yoka and Ayato?"

"Of course, dummy. Who else!"

"I doubt that. Ayato's not the romantic type…" said Lith as she laughed at the idea, but deep down, she was worried that what her friend said might be true.

* * *

"You ready?" asked Karissa.

"Not really." responded Lith as she wore her ('new') ghoul mask. The two friends had decided to follow Yuka to find out what she was doing. Even thought Lith didn't agree at first, she saw how her best friend seemed to really care about her cousin.

Around 11pm Yoka sneaked out of their house and put on her mask. Lith and Karissa followed behind, trying to avoid getting detected. They found this quite difficult as ghouls had a very good sense of smell.

"Karissa leave this to me I can keep track of her from a farther distance." Lith whispered.

"No! That's my cousin!" screamed Karissa. Lith knocked her down when she saw Yoka stop in the distance.

"Shut up, idiot!" Lith whispered as she covered Karissa's mouth. Lith suddenly stood up.

"Lith?"

"Shush!"

Lith's face had an angry expression. Karissa noted that Lith's knuckles were clenched tightly when she too noticed what her friend was angry at. "Ayato?" mumbled Karissa as she cautiously stood up.

Ayato suddenly looked back.

"Oh shit…" mumbled Lith and Karissa as they quickly ducked. They didn't hear anything for a few minutes so they looked up only to have Yoka looming over them. Karissa looked terrified. Why was she looking at her cousin like that?

"Heh, sorry about that…" laughed Lith nervously, scratching the back of her neck.

"What do you think you're doing!?" yelled Yoka furiously. Before Lith knew what was happening, Karissa went flying and slammed against a concrete wall.

"What the fuck was that for!?" screamed Lith. She was fuming. No, beyond outraged. She grabbed Yoka by her collar and lifted her into the air. "First Ayato and now Karissa!?"

"Hey, hey, I can explain." Yoko responded, apparently oblivious to what she had just done to Lith's feelings.

"Shut up."

"It's all a misunderstanding!"

"I said, shut up!"

"Lith?" called out Ayato. He had been running in their direction after he sensed that something wasn't alright. Mainly Lith. "What are you doing?"

"You!" she growled, letting go of Yoka and turning to face Ayato. Ayato wanted to ask her if she was alright but Lith instead slapped him. Not strong enough to send him crashing, but just enough to leave a mark (almost like a human). "Of all people, it just had to be you!"

Lith turned around, not caring about the passerby that was looking at them and ran in Karissa's direction. She wasn't going to leave her friend behind with a bunch of morons.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Alright, I'm sorry for not updating for so long! I ran out of ideas, decided to write other fanfics (which I've decided to keep private since updating 5 or 6 stories would be absolutely mad) and (FINALLY) finished school. Well, technically I still have like two weeks, but since we've already been graded I'm never going back ('till next school year, unfortunately). I hope I'll be able to update sooner now that I don't have such a hectic schedule. Also, sorry the chapter was so short. I promise something interesting/good (hopefully) is happening SOON. But not yet. Wait until the next chapter. Review if you'd like, I'm open to suggestions, especially since I'm not too sure how this is going to go.


	19. Chapter 17

Author's Note: Alright, as promised, here is the new chapter! I was supposed to finish this a few hours ago but then I talked to a fellow reader to see if - should happen (I left it blank for spoilers of this chapter), and when we agreed that it would be interesting, I noticed I had to make this chapter a bit different to what I had intended. Anyways, shoutout to Mystic ToMatooo for supporting me and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Where do you think you're going, Ayato-sama?" Yoko said innocently as she grabbed Ayato's arm.

"Where do you think?!" he responded before running in the direction Lith had taken her friend. What was he doing? Why did it always end up this way? Why does everything always go wrong?

"Lith!" yelled Ayato desperately as he began to catch up to her. She can't really run as fast if she's carrying someone (but she's still fast).

"What."

"Why did you slap me?"

"I-I just overreacted." she said, pushing back tears. What did Ayato do to make her so upset?

"Why?" asked Ayato worriedly. They both stopped walking.

"Nothing. It was just very sudden." said Lith. There was a soft breeze during their silence. They stood there for a few minutes as Lith examined Karissa's injuries as she placed her on the ground. Without a second thought, Lith used her rinkaku kagune and sliced a piece off. She flinched slightly but stuffed it into Karissa's mouth.

"Wh-why did you do that?" asked Ayato, disgusted by the idea of eating her kagune.

"Like you should be talking, Mr.I-Ate-My-Sister alive!" growled Lith in annoyance.

"Point taken…" mumbled Ayato. He shifted in place awkwardly as he saw Karissa swallow the kagune. Her previously slow regeneration quickened and she began to wake up.

"Lith?"

"Karissa!" cried Lith as she wrapped her arms around her friend. "I'm so glad you're alright!" Karissa looked at her questioningly before noticing Ayato peering over Lith's shoulder.

"You know what, I'm fine. I'll just head over to my house…" said Karissa quickly as she stood up and left.

"Wait!" said Lith as she began to pat her pockets. She finally found her keys and handed them to Karissa. "Stay at my house tonight. I'm not sure how Yoka is going to react to tonight." explained Lith, confirming her nervousness.

"Thanks!" chirped Karissa as she grabbed the keys and ran towards Lith's house. Lith sighed as she turned and saw Ayato.

"What? Do I really look that bad?" joked Ayato.

"Stop acting, idiot. I know you like Yoka." she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I just don't think it's a good idea. Have you seen how she treated her own cousin?!" Wait. She was talking to the guy who would eat his own sister. She felt like an idiot.

"I don't like her. I hate her!" said Ayato sincerely. "The one I really like is-"

"You know what? I can't listen to you anymore." Lith said loudly. She turned around and began to run in the opposite direction. Ayato tried to catch up to her, but she began to speed up. They ran through the busy streets of Tokyo, ignoring the strange looks they were getting. They were running so fast in fact, that most people only saw a blur followed by a strong breeze.

Lith tried to loose him by passing through a large park filled with trees, but it didn't work. She was starting to get tired so when she slowed down a bit, he almost caught up. Ayato tried to grab her by the back of her shoulder when he felt a drop land on his face. He slowed to a stop. Was she crying? What had he done to her?

* * *

Lith could feel the tears streaming down her face. Why was she acting like this? It's not like there was anything wrong. But subconsciously she knew she had developed an unwanted crush on Ayato. The person you could pretty much say she hated the most. Except Yoka had the honour of being first place.

She was so upset that she didn't even bother to hide when she heard a ghoul approach her.

"Lith?"

Lith looked up in surprise. Was that… "Touka?" asked Lith. Touka's eyes glimmered at the sight of the young ghoul. She seemed more mature than when they had last met. Touka looked at her friend carefully and saw her puffy, pink eyes. Maybe not as mature as she thought.

"What's wrong?" asked Touka, wondering how she could comfort her friend. Lith stood up and rubbed her glassy eyes. What was she going to tell her? Maybe a word of assurance?

"I-I'm fine!" she squeaked. She didn't want to tell Touka about her brother and how he was behaving. She nervously rubbed the back of her neck and looked over Touka's shoulder only to see Ayato approaching. Hopefully Touka hadn't noticed his presence. "I'm surviving, I have a job and an apartment and life's good!"

"That's great to hear! Just so you know, I opened my own coffee shop, in case you ever need to find us. It's called Re:." Suddenly Touka raised her head, as though she was trying to look for something or someone. Had she noticed Ayato's presence?

"Sugoi! But, what happened to Anteiku? You probably won't be able to get it back, right?" Lith said quickly. She looked back to see Ayato stop a few meters away from them. Lith glared at him as if to dare him to come any closer. Touka looked at Lith sadly before replying.

"You know what, I should probably go now…"

"Alright! I need to go do something too so…goodbye?" said Lith, waving as Touka walked away. Luckily she didn't turn and see Ayato. Close call!

"What do you want?" yelled Lith quickly when Ayato grabbed her hand. What was he doing? Why was he acting like this?

"I love you!" blurted Ayato before turning his head to hide his embarrassment. To Lith, this was the final straw. She couldn't take it anymore.

"You're pathetic! Do you really think that I would just forgive you that easily?" she screeched in disgust. Ayato felt his heart break into a million pieces. Did she just reject him? Call him pathetic? Was he really worthless? Just like everyone told him?

"Aw, a lovers quirl!" squealed Yoka as she skipped towards them. "Too bad it's all for nothing." She did a dramatic frown before putting her arm around Ayato's neck and pulling him closer to her.

"You know brat, the moment you rejected him was when he became mine."

"You should know not to intervene in my own personal problems. Especially when it pisses me off." hissed Lith.

"I'm sooooo scared!" giggled Yoka mockingly. As if that lump of meat would dare do anything to a prominent Aogiri member.

Lith felt as though this had gone long enough. She wasn't the type to attack anyone, but she was just overwhelmed with emotion. Lith's bikaku pierced Yoka's stomach, causing her the cough up blood. "Not so harmless now, huh?" whispered Lith into Yoka's ear before retreating her kagune and letting Yoka drop to the ground.

"A GHOUL!" screamed someone. Lith turned in the direction of the scream, wide-eyed. Did they manage to see her face? Lith took out her mask from her hoodie's pocket and covered her face with it. Moments later, ghoul investigators appeared. They had a surprised look on their face when they saw blood splattered everywhere, an injured person (they hadn't realized it was a ghoul) and two people standing in the middle of it.

The investigators reacted quickly and used their quinques. Lith heard Ayato snicker. Did he really think this was funny? "Look, it wasn't my fault!" said Lith, trying to defend herself.

"Ghouls really are a bunch of trash, thinking they can just attack the innocent civilians of this city!" exclaimed one of the investigators as he ran towards Lith, his bikaku formed quince attempting to slash through her thick skin. She easily dodged it, jumping from one wall to another.

"Not all ghouls are. And she wasn't innocent either. The world is better without her."

"The world is better without you!" he yelled angrily as she dodged again. This wasn't leading him anywhere. "Just wait until the special investigators we called for backup arrive!"

"Sugar bunnies! Are you serious?!" said Lith in surprise. She paused for a moment, long enough for the investigator to have a clear shot of her. He lunged the quinque at her, thinking that he had won. Lith grabbed it in mid-air and crushed it with her hand, all while keeping a cheerful smile on her face.

"Let's get out of here!" yelled Ayato through his mask as he threw the investigator across the street.

"Since when do I take orders from you?" argued Lith as she appeared in front of him and crushed his wrist in annoyance.

"It's not safe here."

"Like I give a damn!"

"You don't understand! They're super powerful!"

"Even better." Lith said bitterly. Suddenly a quinque pierced through her abdomen and Ayato's lung. Lith knew that it would heal quickly, but she could tell that it took a toll on Ayato. He fell limply to the ground, bleeding profusely. She coughed up some blood before turning to see who had done it.

A white haired man stood before her, looking at her coldly. "Ne, hadn't we met a while ago?" Lith said, trying to remember when. Wasn't it when she saved Ayato from the doves? Those seemed like such nostalgic times to her.

"We have." said the white haired man.

"What's your name?" asked Lith curiously was she backed away a little.

"I'm Special Investigator Arima. How about you?" Arima asked as his quinque slightly pierced her arm. She was faster than he thought. Lith jumped up, trying to get a moment to respond without being attacked.

"Now, why would I tell you?" she said, grinning. Her mask may have covered her face, but the tone in her voice was evident. It was clear that she was confident in her strength.

They kept conversing through their fight, even ignoring the fact that people had begun to gather. Even though it was the middle of the night, their fight was attracting plenty of attention. The street lights illuminated their attacks and people took out their phones to record the whole thing. Arima preferred to fight her in an abandoned area, away from civilians that might get hurt. Unfortunately, the ghoul didn't seem like giving up, let alone switching locations.

"You know, many ghouls are misunderstood!"

"How?"

"We're just like humans, only we eat different things!"

"You eat the innocent."

"Just like you eat innocent chickens for lunch and cows for supper."

"They aren't intelligent beings like us."

"But they feel pain! They're alive!"

"And so are humans, but you still eat us."

"We don't have a choice! Anything else we eat can potentially kill us. Do you know what that's like!?"

Arima stopped responding. Was he thinking about what she just said? Or was he trying to land a clear shot on her? Lith didn't have much time to ponder on that because her left leg was sliced off. She was going to land on the ground when she stumbled. Why now?

"It seems as though I have underestimated you." said Lith, trying to distract him while she regenerated her leg. She was starting to get hungry and the audience they were getting was starting to look delicious.

"I also underestimated you." replied Arima as he pointed his quinque towards Lith's head. Lith closed her eyes, waiting for the moment when she would be free from this nightmare driven world. When she heard gasps yet no pain, she opened her eyes. Someone fell in front of her, blood dripping onto her and a quinque still piercing her hero's torso. Lith looked up and saw Ayato.

"NO!" screamed Lith in grief as she acknowledged what was happening. The person she hated/loved, rejected and hurt had just saved her life. And for what? She really didn't want to fight Arima seriously, but she felt as though she just couldn't handle anything anymore. If she was going to fix things, she needed to do them herself.

"You're going to regret that." mumbled Lith vexed, as she stood up and her kakuja formed around her, giving her a larger appearance. People began to scream and run away from the scene, but Arima stayed put. So she was an owl?

She began to shoot little pieces of her kagune at Arima while trying to pierce him with her rinkaku. He kept avoiding her attacks but didn't have enough time to recover and try to hit her. He decided to use this time to examine her abilities and strategies.

"God dammit! Stop moving! You brought this on yourself!" yelled Lith in frustration. Lith felt blinded, as if she had no control of her emotions and actions. At least until blood began to drip. Arima stumbled back and covered his left ribs.

"Crap! I'm so sorry!" yelled Lith as she snapped out of her trance-like state and retracted her kakuja and kagune. She ran towards the injured investigator who seemed to be bleeding uncontrollably. "Uh, um what can I do? What do I do?" she repeated as she paced back and forth in front of the injured investigator. The crowd had begun to get closer to them, trying to see what had happened.

"Kill me." said Arima.

Lith stopped walking. "What?"

"Just kill me. I'm going to die anyways. Put me out of my 'misery'." he said darkly.

"You wish! I value life, unlike some people." she replied angrily. People began to panic at the sight of the angry ghoul, thinking she was going to hurt the investigator.

"Someone call the police!"

"The ghoul attacked someone!"

"Call the ambulance!"

"Get the paramedics!"

"Contact the CCG emergency line!"

In the midst of the confusion, nobody noticed the ghoul that had begun to approach the bleeding investigator. Ayato had regenerated when he suddenly felt like he was starving. He tried to fight it, but it was no use. He pounced on the investigator when he was kicked mid-air and slammed against a wall. "Ayato?" whispered Lith quietly as she saw him. Was he drooling?

A furious uncontrollable ghoul ran towards the investigator, trying to eat him. Lith grabbed the ghoul's neck and lifted him. It didn't seem like he could control his hunger. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Lith's bikaku formed and she ripped off a piece. For the second time that night. She stuffed it into Ayato's drooling mouth and dropped him. Lith heard sirens in the distance and an idea popped into her head.

"Ne, hold on tight." said Lith out of the blue. She lifted the half conscious investigator and ran towards the nearest hospital. She found herself in the middle of a road full of traffic. "Of all days…" She noticed that the investigator probably wouldn't last any longer, so she took a risk and began to jump from one car roof to the next. It seemed to be the fastest way to travel right now.

She arrived at the hospital about a minute later and burst through the emergency entrance. "I need a doctor!" yelled Lith.

"Don't worry, we'll be with you in a bit." said a lady at the counter, not even bothering to look up.

"I need him now! This guy is bleeding to death! He just got stabbed!" Lith yelled. The lady looked stunned the moment she noticed that Lith had a person in her arms.

"Right! Come this way." said the lady immediately and led Lith to a stretcher. Lith placed the unconscious man and watched as nurses and doctors alike quickly appeared and took him to an operation room. Lith slipped away, hoping Arima would be alright. Once she was outside she slipped off her mask and sighed in relief.

* * *

Lith had changed her bloody clothing and was waiting in a waiting room, awaiting news about Arima's operation. Was he going to be alright? He was only human…even if he didn't seem like it. And even if he tried to kill her. Wait. What happened to Yoka? Oops…

"Was that you?"

"What?" Lith turned around and saw Ayato wipe his mouth. She immediately understood what he meant.

"Well, what do you think?" she said bluntly before walking away and asking (again) one of the nurses if Arima was alright. Nobody knew that she was the one who brought him in. She claimed to be a family member so she wouldn't draw suspicion to herself.

"How is he?" she asked nervously.

"His condition is stabilizing. He should be out in a few weeks though." the nurse responded before returning to the room where Arima was being treated. Lith decided it was time to leave and check up on Karissa when she accidentally bumped into Ayato who had been right behind her.

"Watch where you're going, idiot." mumbled Lith sleepily before leaving the hospital. She really needed to head home. Staying up for over 24 hours was not good for her health. Or mental state. Especially when she had fought during the night AND literally fed two ghouls (using her own kagune).

"Hey, wait! Are you just going to shut me out of your life?" Ayato said loudly as he follow Lith.

"Since when were you even in my life?" responded Lith rather coldly. This seemed to work as he didn't utter a word until they arrived at her apartment. She knocked on the door, hoping that Karissa was awake and could open the door when Ayato suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around.

Lith was about to shriek when Ayato suddenly kissed her. Her eyes immediately widened in surprise before slowly closing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he gently placed his hands on her waist. She leaned against the door but seconds later it opened. Lith fell and Ayato landed on top of her.

"Holy shit!" screamed Karissa in surprise as she noticed what she had just interrupted. Lith's first reaction was to slap Ayato in the face before pushing him off. She stood up as if nothing had happened until Karissa began to talk.

"What was that? It looked quite steamy…" she teased, watching Lith and Ayato turn tomato red.

"I agree on that." said a flustered Ayato.

"Shut up, pervert!" screamed Lith before pushing him out the apartment and slamming the door in his face.

Karissa flinched at the sound before turning to face Lith. "That was a little harsh, wouldn't you say?"

"Not one bit." responded Lith before storming to her room and locking herself in.

* * *

Author's Note: **AAAAAAAAH!** THEY FINALLY KISSED! I mentioned before that I don't consider myself to be the romantic type, so this ending was actually kinda hard to write. I realized that after dragging it on for 17 chapters, it was time for me to write SOMETHING lovey-dovey XD. I actually really enjoyed writing the part where Lith totally freaks out about what had just happened and kicks Ayato out of her apartment. I find that kind of hilarious. Anyways, don't mind my cruel self. I don't have anything against it but it's just so awkward for me to write this. I needed to add a little 'humour' in there. Hopefully it was alright. Don't forget to review, follow for updates and possibly even favourite if you enjoyed it. Thanks!


	20. Chapter 17-5

**Author's Note:** This isn't really a chapter, it's more of a news report, so it's really short. It's mostly a recap pf what happened in the last chapter and also a bit of insight for the next chapter. Enjoy!

 **Breaking news: Ghoul saves investigators life after confrontation?**

 _"Witness reports claim that after a lengthy battle between a ghoul and Special Class Investigator the ghoul injured Arima before panicking and apologizing profusely. Not done there, the ghoul transported the Investigator to an emergency room and possibly even saved his life before disappearing without a trace. John, what do you think about the matter?"_

 _"Thank you. I personally think that this is giving people a change of heart. Let's see what people have to say."_

 _"Um, I honestly think we should think about ghouls. I was one of the people who witnessed the fight and it didn't seem as though the ghoul wanted to fight at the beginning. At first I thought that the ghoul was scared, but then we all realized that she was strong. She was also holding back, but when the Investigator was going to hurt her badly, another ghoul jumped in front, saving her."_

 _"And what happened after that?"_

 _"Well, it seemed as though he really meant a lot to her, as she just went crazy and turned into an owl. She began to attack the Investigator like mad."_

 _"And that was when Arima was injured?"_

 _"Yes. Actually, before she took him to the hospital the ghoul that protected her also went crazy and began to try to eat the Investigator."_

 _"Do you know what happened after?"_

 _"Yes, well, partially. It happened so fast and so suddenly that I was really surprised! The female ghoul protected the injured Investigator. From what I've heard, when a ghoul is really hungry they go crazy. I think this is what happened, because she then fed the crazy ghoul part of herself. It was disgusting, I can't even imagine somebody ripping off their own body part to help another. After that she left and moments later the other ghoul disappeared."_

 _"Wow, well, live here in front of the main CCG headquarters, I'm John Mouri, back to you Yuki."_

 _"Alright. There you have it folks! This is currently the information the public has about the attack, but people have also took to social media to praise the ghoul. The CCG is going to have press conference talking about the event."_


	21. Chapter 18

**A/N:** This is a full chapter (for those curious) and I hope you enjoy it! I'm going to try and publish a new chapter every 1-3 days, but keep in mind that I'll be going on vacation soon so the schedule might change later on. Also, I did first-person in some parts of the story so it was easier to express what the character was feeling. Please tell me if it was alright or if I should change it. I did another story completely in first person during the time I stopped updating and I think I got a bit used to it, although I do think it might need some improvement.

* * *

 **Chapter 18:**

 **Lith's POV:**

What am I going to do? Ayato kissed me! What am I supposed to do? Didn't I reject him? What did they mean 'steamy'!?

"Lith! Are you in there?" called Karissa as she banged on my door. It's been a few hours since I locked myself in, so she was probably worried.

"Yeah, I'm just going to head out though." I responded. I really needed to get some food, I'm getting kinda hungry. I opened my door and walked passed Karissa. Actually, I had the day off, right? Maybe I should also check on Arima?

"I'll go with you!" said Karissa suddenly.

"That's not a very good idea… you should probably go see if Yoka is alright." I responded.

"Why? What's wrong with Yoka?" Oh shit. She didn't know I almost killed her yesterday. Probably not the best thing to tell her.

"Well, you fought a bit yesterday so she's probably worried about you." I lied. I really didn't want to worry her. I think I went a little too far, but it's not a very good idea to anger me…

"Really? Is that why I slept here?" she asked. Did she have a concussion?

"Uh, yeah. But if she tries to kill you, tell me." I said suspiciously.

"Right…ok so I'll be off."

"Bye!"

Karissa left and I sat down on the couch. I was planning to leave, but I just wanted to see the news a bit. It's good to be informed. I pressed the power button on the remote control and went to the news channel.

 _"That's right, the CCG are having a public speech about the incident tonight."_

At first I didn't really think of this report indifferently until I read the caption at the bottom of the screen. _Ghoul saves investigator?_ Oh, great. Because I obviously want the CCG to keep a close eye on me while I have a completely crazy life. Obviously.

Maybe I shouldn't leave the house for a while. It could be a bit dangerous if I needed to use my mask. No. I can't live in fear, just like I did in V. I can do this. Maybe. Hopefully.

 **Reader's POV:**

"Eto, I've got some bad news." said Tatara as he approached the bandaged ghoul.

"What? Is it about Lith?"

"No, unfortunately a ghoul has been accepted into the CCG."

"And who is this ghoul?" she asked curiously.

"Kaneki Ken. Also known as Centipede or Eyepatch."

"That sounds so interesting!" giggled Eto. She found the misery and complications in someones life amusing. She thought it was her calling in life, to ruin others. It was so entertaining and she loved the feeling of being in control. Of course, that was all to prepare the One-Eyed-King. She was expecting 'it' to reveal itself to everyone. A powerful being, stronger than anyone, to recreate the dreadful world that they lived in. To fix the wrongs and set them to its ideals. Quite the fantastic thought, only this was not fantasy. This was a reality.

* * *

Lith walked around the streets of the 20th ward. When she decided that she was going to need some help to find the coffee shop, she asked a stranger.

"Ne, do you know where the coffee shop Re: is?" Lith asked calmly. The ghoul turned around in surprise before giving directions. "Thank you!"

Lith jogged across the street and turned to the left. She immediately saw the inviting coffee shop. Lith walked in and heard the bell ring. She was immediately hit with the smell of coffee. Not that she was complaining though.

"Welco-Lith-chan!" said Touka as she walked up to her. Somehow she seemed friendlier but at the same time broken. Had something happened to her?

"Touka-san!" Lith squealed as she hugged her. Even though they had talked the night before, they needed to catch up.

"How are you?"

"I'm…to be honest kinda worried." replied Lith sincerely. She felt like she needed to get things off her chest. It was getting quite stressful.

"Why? What happened?" asked Touka as she signalled to a back room. Lith followed her and let the door close before telling Touka.

"I attacked a dove out of rage but then took him to the hospital because I didn't mean to hurt him that bad. And now it's on the news." Lith said as she shifted nervously towards a couch. The room looked similarly to Anteiku's, including the three tea cups that were on display. They weren't the exact same, but they were there to symbolize something.

"That was you?" asked Touka angrily. Why was she like that? Should Lith have told her? Should she have trusted her?

"Yes…" mumbled Lith, looking away.

"You need to be more careful. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." she said harshly.

"I'm sorry!" squeaked Lith before running out. She wasn't expecting this backlash. What was she supposed to do? The only people who knew about this were Touka and Ayato. Lith felt tears fall from her face but she didn't care. She felt so alone. Nobody understood what she was going through. Nobody could relate to her. Nobody could support her. Nobody could help her. Maybe she should just end it then and there. It would help a lot of people. She wouldn't be able to hurt anyone that way. She wouldn't make them suffer.

* * *

Lith had slipped on her mask as she ran across the roofs of the buildings in Tokyo. She knew it was dangerous. She knew that it was a death wish. She knew it was daytime. She knew that people were watching. But she didn't care. She swung and used her kagune to leap through certain parts. If she fell, too bad. If she didn't, she'd jump off later either way.

By the time she stopped, she was atop a large construction site. It looked abandoned and she could see the sun setting. It looked absolutely stunning.

"Nice view, huh?" asked an eerie voice. It sounded almost childish, yet haunting at the same time.

"Yeah…" said Lith, creeped out. She turned around and saw a ghoul with bandages that covered her entire body as well as wearing a purple colour dress with a hood. Lith instantly recognized her.

"Eto!" screeched Lith in surprise as she stood up and almost fell off the steel. She panicked for a moment before remembering that everything would be over soon. She relaxed and lied down. It was an odd thing to do, but Lith didn't feel like trying to look normal in front of someone.

"You're acting weird." pointed out Eto as she stood 'towering' above her.

"Noooo, really?" said Lith sarcastically.

"Are you alright, your highness?" she asked blantly. Lith didn't know what to think of the nickname. Was it sarcastic? Was it a joke? An insult? Or was she serious?

"Not really. My life is really messed up, you know?" Lith said sighing.

"Mine is too." said the bandaged ghoul as she sat down beside her. It was a really strange feeling, but Lith felt like Eto might actually be the only one who understood her. Honestly, she had heard rumours about her. They were all horrible. And they all came down to V. Maybe they weren't all that different?

"Why are you here?"

"I followed you. I heard you were causing trouble for the CCG." So she was like a stalker?

"Oh."

"Do you want to tell me what's on your mind?" asked Eto gently, almost as though a mother would approach their daughter. Lith was about to reject the 'offer' when she suddenly began to spill all her worries. She felt so much better talking to someone about it. Of course, she was careful not mentioning Ayato. She didn't want to cause him trouble in Aogiri, although she had the strange feeling that Eto already knew. It was almost scary.

"So what are you planning to do now?" asked Eto, sighing.

"'Jump off the building and end it all." Lith said bluntly. Eto looked at her suddenly. Lith couldn't tell what Eto's expression was like, but by now she didn't care anymore.

"Why?"

"Didn't I just tell you? Don't you know my backstory? You infiltrated V so you already know the only reason I'm alive."

"But why don't you join me?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm jumping to stop myself from hurting other people in the future. I'm not stable!" lashed Lith.

"But you can change that, right? Just like you didn't kill the dove." replied Eto, surprisingly motivationally. Lith thought for a moment. For once she actually agreed with Eto. She was right. She could change her actions. She could use her strength to help others.

"Maybe you're right." whispered Lith. She began to climb down the incomplete building before jumping off a few stories down. It wasn't dangerous, at least compared to the very top. A large dust cloud formed and just as it was about to clear up, Eto jumped off as well.

Lith began to cough, as she was not expecting the sand. "Ne, give me a warning next time!"

Eto only giggled at her before saying, "If we hurry, we might make it to the CCG's public speech."

"Are you seriously planning on going?" asked Lith as she dusted herself off.

"Why not? Humans in denial are very entertaining, not to mention hilarious!" she said, barely managing to stop herself from bursting into laughter at the thought. Lith stayed there in silence, debating whether to go or not. When she looked up, Eto was gone.

"Wait for me!" cried out Lith as she caught a bit of her scent coming from a distance.

* * *

 **Lith's POV:**

"Right this way, miss." said a guard as he pointed at an RC scanner. I walked through the gate confidently as I knew it wouldn't detect me. This was one of the times that I was **almost** glad that I came from V. Somehow my RC cells weren't detected, at least not above average. It was especially important to me, since I had a lot of them, mostly because of my kakuja.

I walked in separately from Eto, as she was attracting attention from reporters and fans alike. Her books seemed to be more famous than I first expected them to be. It was surprising, really. Although somehow I was able to relate to many, which I found strange at the time until I found out that she was a ghoul. But the question still lingered: how did she not set off the alarm?

"Quite strange to find someone so young here." said a man. I looked up and saw a dove. Somehow, he seemed untrustworthy. He had spiky white hair and his mouth was covered. He seemed really scary. Hadn't she seen him in the 20th Ward fighting one of the waitresses of Anteiku a while ago?

"Uh, it's nice to be informed…" said Lith quietly before trying to lose him in the crowd. Many people had come to the speech. Was this really all because she had taken Arima to the hospital? She managed to get to the very front of the room and get a clear view of the stage. From the corner of her eye she could see multiple people sitting in chairs that lined the side of the stage. Everyone there looked super professional, wearing suits and formal attire.

A man walked up to the podium and began to speak. "Citizens of Tokyo," So formal, I thought sarcastically. "I'm sure everyone is aware of what happened last night. On the behalf of the CCG, I would like to inform everybody that ghoul countermeasure laws will remain the same."

What? After all this, they still think it's okay to just kill a ghoul on the spot? Without an explanation? I thought that the way this had been publicized, maybe they would have a second thought about all of this. Was I just being naive?

I was suddenly pushed to the left. I was about to tell them to be careful, but then I began to be squished between reporters trying to get a comment from the spokesman. Their questions began to ring in my ears, a little too clearly. It was just as Eto had said. They were going to pretend as if nothing had ever happened! They were going to be in denial, and drag the entire ghoul population with them! What was going on in their puny minds? At this point, did they even have them?

"What do you think about ghouls?" asked a reporter.

"They are selfish beings who kill for enjoyment."

"What about their children?" asked a writer

"No comment."

This was ridiculous. Before I knew what I was doing, I slid on my mask and pushed my way to the podium. "Excuse me, but I don't think you have a right to judge us." I said to the spokesman before pushing him off (gently, might I add). I immediately caught the attention of the crowd, as they began to point microphones and cameras at my face. Surprisingly, they didn't seem afraid of me. That was a good start. Although I think that if this was any other ghoul up here, they would already be dead.

I heard multiple people running towards me, quinques in hand. Great.

"Uh, first of all, hi." I said awkwardly. What was I supposed to say? I had no idea what I was doing, but I can't just run away. A blond woman tried to whip me with her quinque but I quickly formed my rinkaku. It grabbed the lady's quinque and smashed it in half. "As you can see, not all ghouls kill for enjoyment." I stated.

"You are misinformed. Ghouls are living, just like you and me. We have feelings, friends, and family." I snapped another quinque in half. I was honestly amused by the fact that the audience was just watching and snapping pictures. Poor CCG, they were getting embarrassed. Not that I cared. "We just have a different diet. And not all ghouls kill. Some look for dead corpses and eat those instead. I just noticed that it may sound gross, but it's better than ending someone's life."

I saw the audience just gawk at me. This time, a group of young Investigators ran towards me without quinques. That was strange, honestly. A boy with black hair suddenly sprouted a kagune and began to attack me ferociously. I let a gasp escape. I jumped back, worried that he might actually manage to hit me. What was I supposed to do? The other Investigators sprouted kagunes and began to attack me. What was this? How was I supposed to stop them without actually hurting them!?

An idea popped into my head. What if I knocked him out? I could use a pressure point technique that I learned a while ago. "Ne, careful with those. They could hurt someone." I said, chuckling, trying to distract them, even if it was for a few seconds. They all stopped, except for the black haired boy. Was he crazy? He could seriously injure someone. "Are you insane?" I said before running quickly behind him. He collapsed instantly, although his kagune didn't retract.

"What did you do!?" screamed a light orange haired boy.

"Calm down, shark boy!" I said playfully, trying to mask my stress. "He's just unconscious." I wrapped my kagune around the black haired boy's body and gently dropped him in front of his friend. I really didn't want to cause any trouble, but in all honesty they started it.

I saw a large crowd of investigators push through the crowd and climb up the stage. "Well that's it for today folks!" I said comedically into the microphone as I quickly backed away from the podium and did a mocking princess bow. Just as a quinque was about to hit me, I ran quickly, away from everyone's sight.

* * *

 **A/N:** Lith is going to get herself killed one of these days if she keeps this up! Just saying... ;)


	22. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Sorry for the short chapter, but I need inspiration! Waiting for the new Re: chapter!

* * *

A few days after Lith appeared at the public speech, she decided that she was going to make use of her strength. She wanted to prove that not all ghouls were bad, even if she had to put herself in danger. During this time she hadn't talked to any of her friends. Surprisingly, she felt really busy. When she wasn't working at Uta's workshop, she was prowling the city, looking to see if she could find any way to help. Although she wasn't looking at the news reports, a certain someone was.

Ayato had made it a habit of his to look for any news about Lith. He was getting nervous, as when he went to her apartment, he would never find her. Was she ignoring him? Either way, Eto had assigned him a new member as his subordinate. Apparently, she was a ghoul around his age. He wasn't in the mood to meet her, so he decided to go back to his building in the hideout.

As he walked up the stairs, he began to hear crying. He stopped at the closed door and opened it. "W-who's t-there?" asked a girl with short, brown hair between sobs. Was she supposed to be his new subordinate?

"Will you quit making so much noise? It's annoying." spat Ayato, trying to keep his angry demeanour.

"S-sorry." she squeaked. She stood up and turned to face him. Her eyes were puffy from crying, he noticed and her face was wet with tears. He couldn't help but feel a little pity for the girl. What was he doing? Lith must have made him soft. "T-touka?"

"What?" roared Ayato. What was she saying?

"Y-you look like T-touka nee-chan!"

"That dumbass? scowled Ayato as he kicked a can on the ground. She knew his sister?

"Aren't you her brother?" asked Hinami, more collected now.

"Unfortunately," he growled "but that doesn't make a shitty person like you any more special. Just because you knew her doesn't mean you'll get pampered."

* * *

"Lith~" called out Eto. Lith, not expecting to see Eto at the roof of a tall building in the middle of the day almost fell off in surprise.

"Eto?"

"That was quite the crazy stunt you pulled the other day. What were you thinking?" Eto said in amusement as she played with the lose bandage around her finger.

"Honestly, I don't know. I guess I just wanted to try and make ghouls have a better life. I wanted to make them understand that a ghoul's life mattered." responded Lith sympathetically.

"Just like a leader would say…" mumbled Eto in respect.

"What?"

"Do you really plan on doing something with those problems?" asked Eto, her face turning grim as she looked at the young ghoul.

"Of course! And nothing can stop me." said Lith energetically.

"Even if I said you'd have to go through me?" inquired Eto.

"Yes. Whether it be to protect a friend or to help a human, I would."

"Then how about you prove yourself. If you can beat me, Aogiri Tree will be your ally. We will help you if you ever find yourself in a difficult situation." said Eto with a serious look on her face. Lith wasn't sure what Eto meant at first. Aogiri Tree as her ally? Why would she want their help? After all, Eto wasn't very trustworthy. She had already been in the criminal organization long enough to know that it wasn't a very good place. They slaughtered anyone who got in their way, whether it be doves, humans, ghouls or even their own teammates.

Then she remembered that not all members wanted to be there. Some were forced while others had no place to go. Maybe she could change the organization for the better, if she managed to befriend Eto. although she had heard of the existence of the One-Eyed King, nobody had actually seen him. She knew that he was a powerful being who controlled Aogiri Tree and that only Eto and Tatara, the only direct subordinates knew who he was.

Some doubted his existence, and even thought that Eto, the main founder of the organization was the real One-Eyed King. Why they would create his existence in the first place was strange, but Lith thought it might be a way to convince the members into joining. Imagine, a powerful ghoul protecting you would really sound like an amazing offer. But of course, it always felt too good to be true.

"I don't think I would ever be able to defeat you." said Lith thoughtfully, thinking that the chances of her defeating the notorious killing Owl.

"How about we make a deal?" she said suspiciously. Why was she so eager on fighting me? Couldn't she just do it whenever she wanted? She could just attack me right then and there. So why didn't she? Why was she so eager on having me agree? "I'll wait for you. I'll wait until you say you're ready and we will fight to the death."

What? To the death?! What is she thinking!? She's supposed to be the adult here! Aren't they supposed to take care of the children? I know I'm not a kid anymore, but still. I'm young and underage! I was in shock. I opened my mouth to say no, but she was gone.


	23. Author's Note

I won't be updating for a while, currently I'm not sure how the story is going to advance and I'm also going on a trip for 3 weeks. Hopefully I will get some inspiration on what to put next. Thank you for your understanding, I hope you guys have a great summer!


	24. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:** The first part is a bit of an extra, but it'll still be important in the future of the story (as in, a really long time). Also, I feel like this chapter is a bit more of little stories or plots all over the place.

* * *

"Target has been located."

"Prepare to kill the target. Ready," the Investigators took out their quinques, "Go!" and ran towards the target. She/he gracefully leaped from building to building without even using a kagune.

The ghoul was wearing a white mask that covered it's entire face. It had pink stitches that formed an eerie smirk and the right part of the mask where it's eye should be was covered by a green button with three, black lines that represented eyelashes. The left side had a hole in the shape of a parallelogram with 'eyelashes' at the bottom of it. A section of the left side also had a splash-like design with small, green and pink rhombuses inside.

Eto smiled. Although the Investigators tried their best, they weren't able to land a single hit on the ghoul. She was amused at the sheer power of their leader, the One-Eyed King. It truly was the strongest of all ghouls. She watched him destroy the precious quinques the Investigators needed so dearly if they wanted to stand a chance against ghouls. Eto respected the King's decisions, but sometimes she would be confused. Instead of slaughtering all the humans that got in his way, he decided to stay neutral.

Eto hadn't talked to him much, except for a few conversations. To say the truth, she was practically the one in charge. Eto knew that if she didn't keep the members of Aogiri Tree busy, they would start to question the King. But he didn't care, instead he stayed in his own bubble, acting as naive as a toddler. The King disagreed with most of Eto's actions, but he didn't do anything about it.

She honestly believed that the King really wanted to be a human. He tried to interact with them, sympathize with them, and protect them. But Eto knew that this wouldn't last very long. It was time to burst that little bubble of his and bring him back to reality.

* * *

"Lith!" Ayato ran after the ghoul. They just happened to be walking down the same street but the moment Lith saw him she ran. "Come back!"

Lith ran through the busy streets of Tokyo, her path illuminated by the bright street lights. She pushed through the small crowds, ignoring the annoyed stares she was getting. She suddenly began to feel exhausted and stopped. Why was she so tired? Was it because she was nervous about confronting him? Lith stood in the middle of the street and try to sort out her thoughts. She couldn't just ignore him forever. Distracted by her clashing thoughts, she didn't notice Ayato in front of her until he ruffled her hair.

"Hey, what was that for!?" screamed Lith. Ayato jumped back slightly at her angry reaction before bowing his head.

"Sumimasen." mumbled Ayato. Lith was taken aback. Since when did 'Prince Charming' ever apologize?

"For what?" asked Lith, pretending not to know what he was talking about. Ayato was glad she wasn't able to see the expression on his face. He had turned bright red in embarrassment. He stood up properly and coughed awkwardly without looking directly at her.

"Nothing." he said. They began to walk together, pretending as though nothing had ever happened.

"I got a new subordinate."

"Mmm. And how is he like?" asked Lith.

" _She_ 's a wimp. She can't handle seeing a single speck of blood." replied Ayato, clearly frustrated.

"She? Well then you should treat her nicely. I think it would be better if she trusted you."

"Really? She said that I looked like Touka."

"Shouldn't you take that as a compliment? I mean, she's really pretty and you don't look too bad yourself." said Lith without thinking of how that could be interpreted.

"…"

"I mean, not that you look good." implied Lith quickly.

"What?" asked Ayato, feeling slightly offended.

"Nothing! Pretend I didn't say anything!" said Lith as she picked up her pace and began heading towards her apartment.

Ayato walked towards his own 'home' (in the Aogiri Tree Base) before suddenly looking towards a tree. "Don't ruin my fun~" Ayato looked quite annoyed when he recognized who it was. Eto jumped off the tree and skipped away, leaving Ayato to wonder why she was always watching him. Was there something he didn't know?

* * *

"Yosh!" said a cheerful, black-haired girl as she began to approach the unapproachable. A teenager was leaning against a shop's wall with a scowl of his face. He kept eyeing the poor people who passed by him. When he would notice that they were staring at him, he would scare them away. His head suddenly jerked in the girl's direction.

She jumped back in surprise when her eyes locked with his glaring ones. When he recognized her, his expression quickly melted into a more caring look. "Ne, can I talk to you for a second?" asked Lith quickly. She decided that she couldn't keep avoiding the question forever.

"Is this about the other day?" asked Ayato carefully.

"Y-yes. I was wondering, did you-" Lith was suddenly interrupted.

"I really did mean what I said." Lith looked at him with glassy eyes before he pulled her into a hug.

"I didn't mean what I said back there…"

"What do you mean?" asked Ayato as he looked down at Lith's pink face.

"I mean, I don't hate you. I really consider you a friend. And…"

"And…?"

"I love you.." mumbled Lith as she dug her face into his chest in embarrassment. Ayato stared at the top of her head, looking a bit puzzled.

"What did you say?"

Lith let go of him and walked back a bit. "I said I love you!" she burst out. Lith could feel her heart racing. When she saw that Ayato wasn't doing anything, she began to doubt herself. Should she have said that? Would they still be friends? Or would this ruin everything she had tried to recover when she lost her memory?

"You know," Ayato said quietly. "I've been waiting to hear that for a while now."

"And I've been waiting to say that for a while." Lith said as grabbed his hand and lead him to the entrance of a coffee shop. "Your sister works here now."

"Why are you telling me that?" asked Ayato uncomfortably. Lith gave him sympathetic look before opening the door and walking in with Ayato.

"Welcome." grumbled a young man with glasses.

"Is Touka here?" asked Lith. She noticed the ghoul didn't really seem to like his job. He was putting minimum effort into it and he didn't even try to put a little enthusiasm in his voice or look at the customers.

"No."

"Do you know when she'll be back?"

"No."

"Could you tell her that I want to talk to her?" wondered Lith.

"Do it yourself, that isn't my job." he said harshly before walking away.

"So much for customer service…" mumbled Lith, slightly frustrated at his sour attitude.

"Don't be rude to her, you scumbag!" called Ayato angrily. The man ignored us and began to have a conversation with another waiter. "Tch. Does that imbecile really think he can just ignore me?" growled Ayato as he stormed towards the counter and banged his fist on it. "Don't just leave her hanging, you moron!"

Lith quickly walked towards the counter and tried to calm him down. "Stop it, it's fine. I'll just come back another time." said Lith nervously. It seemed as though Ayato's rage had attracted some attention, as people began to look in their direction, expecting to see a fight. Ayato turned his head to look at her before continuing to yell at the man. Lith noticed that his eyes had changed. It seemed as though the other waiter with white hair noticed too, because he began to close the shop and rushed people out of the store.

Once everyone was out, all hell broke loose. The guy with glasses had taken out his kagune and was ready to fight Ayato. "You're the guy from Aogiri! The one who fucked up Kaneki!" he yelled angrily.

"So what if I am?" said Ayato as his own kagune had appeared.

"Yomo, help me out here!" said the man as he turned to the white haired man. Ayato took this as an opportunity and pushed the waiter to the ground. His glasses fell off and Ayato purposefully crushed them under his foot.

"Ayato, calm down!" squeaked Lith, afraid that either of them would get hurt, or even worse, attract enough attention for the CCG to be contacted.

"Stay out of this, human!" yelled the man as he stood up and rubbed the back of his head. Yomo took this as a signal and tried to get Lith out of the coffee shop, but she refused. Ayato charged at Yomo, but he moved to the side and didn't get hurt.

"That's enough, Ayato!" screamed Lith as she kicked him hard enough to send him crashing into a wall. Luckily, it didn't really damage the concrete. Lith had had enough with his terrible attitude.

"The fuck was that for!?" Ayato yelled as he got up.

"You need to stop acting like that. It's just plain stupid. You can't just start attacking people out of no where, especially when it wasn't your business. It was my problem, and I could solve it on my own!" she hollered angrily. She knew it wasn't the smartest idea to say that, since it didn't seem like he was himself. Was it just the rush of adrenalin that was making him escalate things? Out of nowhere, Ayato punched her. She stumbled slightly, but she wasn't really hurt.

For a moment Lith didn't really move, but the waiters noticed that something was wrong when she suddenly began to laugh. Ayato's eyes widened when he realized what he had done and he began to profusely apologize. "Lith! I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry! I don't know what I was doing, I'm an idiot, I'm sorry!" he began saying. When he noticed that she didn't respond, he began to panic. As she continued laughing, Ayato decided to place his hands on her shoulders to try to calm her down.

Immediately she stopped laughing and slapped him. "You know, for a moment back there I really believed you." She said with a crazy smile as a tear slid down her cheek before walking out of the shop.


	25. Final Chapter (21)

**Final Chapter:**

 **Lith's POV:**

I knew I should be more upset by the situation, but how could I? After all, I am 'only' a teenager. What was I supposed to know about love?

I felt a drop splash onto my face, followed by a second and then a third. It began to rain quite heavily and I could already feel myself getting sick. I ran towards the nearest shop and stood underneath the small roof that protected me from getting soaked. I waited, and waited, and waited, but I never saw Ayato appear. Was I really that unimportant? I guess maybe this just wasn't meant to be. I sighed and sat down on the shops steps. My back leaned comfortably against the cool, dry door as I waited for the rain to stop.

A few minutes later I suddenly fell back. I tried to hold my balance, but to no avail. I fell on a man's foot. I looked up and he grunted angrily. I grinned nervously before bowing in apology. "Sorry! I was just trying to shield myself from the rain."

"If you're not going to buy anything, then scram, you brat!" he yelled. I heard him mumble something about today's youth not being respectful before slamming the door shut. Talk about rude!

I made a run for it and tried to find a dry place to stay at. All the shops I passed by were closed, so I ran to my favourite place, the alleyway. Ah, so full of sketchy looking people, a place full of mystery and yet so comforting at the same time. It wasn't really as wet as the streets, so I just sat against a graffitied wall. The rain didn't appear as though it wanted to stop anytime soon, so I tilted my head and went into a light sleep.

* * *

I woke up abruptly to the sound of screams. I yawned and stretched as I noticed it had stopped raining. I lazily looked over to the direction in which the yelling was coming from. I picked up a familiar scent. I tried to think of where I recognized it from when a group of ghouls began to walk in my direction. I wasn't able to distinguish their separate scents, most likely because of the rain from earlier today. It had already begun to darken so I squinted my eyes to try and see their faces.

They were all wearing hoodies that cast a shadow over their facial features, making them indistinguishable. One of them seemed to be dragging itself, another was walking boldly and the last ghoul was skipping, its small body moving behind the others.

"Uh, hi?" said Lith when the ghouls stopped in front of her. She stood up to greet them but suddenly felt a sharp pain in my shoulders. My eyes widened as I realized what had happened. A thick liquid began to drip down my arms. The ghoul retracted her Rinkaku and backed away, before pulling off her hood. For a moment, I thought I was looking in the mirror. The ghoul looked just like me! The two ghouls behind her did the same, only to reveal myself. What the hell was going on!?

 _You won't be seeing your friends anytime soon._

"What!?"

 _And they won't ever be seeing you._

My fear turned into anger. I felt myself go into a kind of trance as I blacked out.

When I opened my eyes again, I felt myself lying in a pool. At first I thought nothing of it, until I caught the metallic-like smell. I gasped when I realized it was blood. I stood up quickly, but slid on the shimmering liquid and fell again. My body felt weak and sore, as though I had just run a marathon. Before I could attempt to stand up again, I felt something pierce through my abdomen. It was painful as hell, and I screamed out in pain.

 _I thought you were dead. At least I still have a play toy._

I began to cough up blood. I saw the ghoul standing, snickering as it saw how much pain I was in. _Why was this happening to me? How did I even get into this situation?_ I felt like crying, but couldn't. Not because I wanted to prove that I was strong, but because instead blood began to slide out. It slowly dripped down my face and things began to look redder than before. _Could this be the end?_

I squeaked when I felt another kagune pierce my arm. It didn't hurt as much, but it was still painful.

 _This is so much fun, getting revenge for forgetting me!_

Revenge? Wait, if that thing looked like me, and it said I forgot about it… was that me?

 _Bingo!_

Was this a dream? No, it couldn't possibly be. You can't feel pain when you're in a dream…

"Lith~" I heard echoing in my head. Great, I was going insane!

"Darling, wake up..." said the voice in my head. Darling? What the heck!? That sounds disgusting!

I blinked and suddenly found myself where I had fallen asleep originally. "Nani?" I mumbled as I stood up. Who had told me to wake up? I doubt it was Ayato. He would never say darling. That would be hilarious though. I stood up to leave and turned around when suddenly…

"Boo!" yelled Eto. I jumped back in surprise. I swear I peed myself a little, but luckily I was soaked so nobody could tell. I sighed as I pushed my wet bangs out of my face.

"What do you want, Eto?" I mumbled in annoyance.

"Glad you asked! I wanted to know if you were ready to fight."

* * *

Thank you everyone for reading Tokyo Ghoul: Lith! I really enjoyed writing this (even if I got quite a lot of writer's block) and I hope you enjoyed the characters, plot, and overall story. For now, this story has come to a close. I'm still debating whether or not to make a sequel. Either way, I wish everyone a safe and happy summer (Especially you, Pokémon Go players!).

~Amunet Gyeong

P.S.: With the new chapter out, if I do plan on making a sequel, the story might change drastically to fit what I was planning. Also, who else was surprised with the recent manga chapters?


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